Diamond in the Rough
by Girl who likes to lay under tables
Summary: Rin and Sesshomaru: Rin lives in a village where she was born with a friend, but suddenly her friend gets married and she gets kicked out of the house. Her life seems empty when a demon lord needs a new servant. Is it the change she needs?
1. Friends become Family

Diamond in the Rough

AN: Alright, this is my first fan fic, so it might not be that good. I will try my best to update as soon as possible, but it won't always be on the same days or even on a weekly base… I get writers block very easily. I don't know that Japanese language at all, so the Japanese grammar is out the window. I will use the words… Lord, or master, or something like that. I know that a lot of them do the san, and chan, and sama thing, but I don't… I don't understand English, why would I understand Japanese… I just hope you enjoy it, and please review.

Chapter 1: Friends become Family

The sky was blue. Not the blue like in a kimono, but the blue you see in the ocean on a clear day. A crystal blue that only came with a cloudless day and a big, warm sun that seemed to warm up everything it touched and made everything grow. This was one of those days that you wanted to work, and everyone was working. It was the first day of planting and everyone needed to work. It had been a hard winter, and a lot of people died. The village had used up all of the stored food, and most were lucky to make it to see spring. This year was going to be different. This year, they would plant twice as much so everyone would be happy during the winter. Well, almost everyone would be happy. There was one person in the village that hated winter. That was the season where they were always alone in their small cottage with nothing but their thoughts to keep them company, and this could drive people to insanity. But it never happened to them. It only made them really sad. During the season of winter, that one person had lost their family. They weren't killed or taken, they were just lost. Every winter, that one person wouldn't go out often, but when they did go out, would look for their lost family. They had this strange idea, that in the winter, their family would return to them… somehow.

"Isn't it a lovely day?" asked Kuma, as she bent down to pull out a weed from the garden. The garden was full of weeds. No matter how hard the winter was, it could never kill all the weeds. After a while of working in silence, Kuma stopped and looked up at her silent friend. "Rin, are you okay?"

Rin kept working in silence. She saw the hurt on her friends face because of her silence. "Yes, I'm fine," said Rin, "It just feels like I wasted another winter."

"Rin," said Kuma continuing with her work," you need to understand a few things. You were 7 when your family disappeared. It's been 5 years. You need to move on with your life. Come live with me. You are too young to be on your own, and you are too young to marry. I am 22 and a widow. I have no children, and I help the village just like you do. I help grow food for the village. We could live our lives together. Come on Rin; let's spend our lonely times together. We can become our own family."

"Thank you for the offer Kuma," started Rin, "but, I just can't. I still want to hope that my family is still alive."

"I understand," said Kuma. They finished the day of work in silence. Kuma couldn't help but worry about her young friend. Most children her age were only doing a half days work, and then spending the rest of the time playing. Rin always seemed to be working. She didn't seem like she had a childhood. She just grew up. She was more mature then most people twice her age. Kuma knew she had to get Rin to talk about her family's disappearance so she could move on with her life, but she didn't know what she could do.

* * *

It took another year to convince her, but Rin finally came to live with Kuma. They spent the next 4 years working together and spending a lot of time with each other. It seemed that Rin had finally gotten her life back. When she wasn't working, she was talking with Kuma or some of the older folks, or playing with the children. Rin had grown into a pretty woman. She wasn't beautiful, not like some of the girls, but she was pretty. She had a small nose and soft, black hair that hung down her back in a loose braid. She was a little chubby, but it just made her curves softer. She wasn't out to attract the men, as some of the girls her age were. She was content with her life so much, that she was willing to spend the rest of it with Kuma. She told Kuma this many times, especially when Kuma asked her about spending some time with the local bachelors. It seemed Rin was just going to stay single the rest of her life.

"Rin," said Kuma softly as she looked over at Rin. It was right after the harvest, so she and Rin had less work than normal. The village had lots of food, so they wouldn't have to worry about the winter, no matter how hard it was.

"Yes?" asked Rin in a groggy voice. She had just fallen asleep, but was willing to talk to her best friend.

"What would you think of me getting married?" asked Kuma, quietly.

"What!" asked Rin, getting up on her elbow to look at her friend. She could see Kuma in the moonlight, and she was looking at the ceiling.

"Well, I've met someone…" said Kuma embarrassedly.

"Who?" asked Rin, wondering who this man was who would marry Kuma, even though she was older than the usual marring age.

"Haruki," said Kuma pulling the covers over her head.

"Haruki?" asked Rin. Haruki was a man of about 28 who had come into the village a year or two ago. "When did he ask you to marry him?"

"Yesterday," said Kuma's muffled voice from under the blanket. "I wanted to ask you first before I answered him."

"I think its okay," said Rin lying back down on her pillow. "Will he be moving here or…?"

"He'll be moving here, cause I don't want to live in that shack he calls a home," said Kuma quickly.

"Does this mean I have to leave?" asked Rin quietly.

"No," said Kuma sitting up and grabbing Rin's hands, "of course not. He knows that you are as much a part of my life as you are. You can sleep in the room in the back where we put the guests when they come."

"Kuma, we've never had a guest."

"Well," said Kuma, "It's your room now."

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" asked Rin going off subject.

"Yes," said Kuma lying down again. "I love him."

"If it'll make you happy," said Rin putting her head back on the pillow, "Then I'm happy for you."

"Thank you Rin, this will make me very happy."

Rin was worried. Haruki was a troubling person. She had heard many rumors about him. It was said that he was an abusive man, and a very lustful one. She just hoped that this was the right decision, and that the rumors weren't true. She settled down into a restless sleep.

To be continued…

Okay, that's it, what do you think. Sorry it's so short. Review, and if you have any questions, just ask


	2. Dangerous to Yourself

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but one can always try

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

Chapter 2: Dangerous to Yourself

It had been 5 months since Kuma and Haruki got married. It had happened a week after that night when Rin and Kuma had talked. It was hard to get used to. The first month was the worst. Autumn had quickly changed to winter, but it wasn't the same. The two newlyweds would go at it like rabbits. All the time they were having sex. At night, it was especially hard. If it had been summer, then Rin could have slept outside, away from the house. But since it was winter, and a very cold one at that, there was no escape.

Every night, Rin was awoken by the grunts and moans, the rubbing and the screaming. The first night, Rin was so disgusted, she ran outside and vomited. It had been a truly cold night, so when she closed the door, the water on the door had frozen shut. She had gone out in bare feet, and a thin kimono. Now she was outside without anywhere to sleep. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Rin turned around to see the old half demon standing there with a blanket.

"Can I help you?" asked Yasuo, his old face showing deep concern with the young girl.

"Yes, I guess," said Rin standing up, and accepting the blanket Yasuo was holding out. They waked to where Yasuo lived.

"Please," said Yasuo, "Go by the fire and warm up. I'll get you something warm to eat."

"Alright," said Rin. She sat by the fire wondering why this old half demon would be willing to help her. She kept thinking while she drifted into a deep sleep. Yasuo came back with some steaming dish. He looked down at the sleeping Rin and covered her with another blanket. 'At least she'll have something to eat when she wakes up,' thought Yasuo. He went to the opposite wall and sat down, soon falling asleep too. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

After that, Rin started to get used to the "noises", but was still woken up more often than not. By the second month she could sleep soundly almost every night, except when Kuma screamed especially loud. It didn't seem to matter that she was at the other end of the house. It always sounded like it was in the next room. Rin could always escape the day though. As soon as she saw how bad it was going to be, she started visiting Yasuo more and more until she was there every day. Yasuo had been a friend of Rin's father and mother. H e had also been a close friend of the current Demon Lord's father. He had even worked in the mansion when his friend had been alive, before the Lord moved to another land, and gave his old land to the dog Lord Shesshomaru. Yasuo told Rin amazing stories and thought her all he knew. He taught her reading, writing, many different languages, demon lords and their family trees, and management of land and time. Yasuo was impressed by Rin.

"Here is a girl…no, a woman who wants to learn. Here is a woman who learns quicker than most full blooded demons. This woman will never make a regular human happy. She knows too much, and will always argue with him. She will need someone stronger. Someone who would be able to control her 'out spoken' behavior, and eventually except it as the way it will be. She needs a demon mate."

Rin had read every book Yasuo had with in a month. She wanted to read all the books in the village, but Yasuo wouldn't let her.

"An educated woman is a danger to herself. Learning is forbidden in some cultures, especially for women. Be careful not to reveal your intelligence unless you know it is safe," said Yasuo. He had said this many, _many_ times. So she continued to work in complete ignorance of the towns folk. She dearly wanted to tell Kuma, but she knew that Kuma would tell Haruki, and then she would be punished. Rin continued to learn the demon lords and their lineages, and she mastered it within two weeks. After two months, Rin had learned all that Yasuo could teach her through books. After threat, he moved on to physical training. Rin already knew how to ride and take care of horses, but she needed battle skills.

"**In this time and era,"** said Yasuo, practicing a demon dialogue with Rin, **"You never know when someone is going to try and kill you. You are a lonely human, and a woman at that. For a demon, you are a perfect target for rape."** Rin never let it show, but she was afraid of the idea of being violated by a demon, or even a human. She saw how tired Kuma seemed to be every day, and she knew by the way she moved that Haruki always hurt her. Rin didn't want to experience that, no matter what happened.

With that small speech in her mind, Rin enthusiastically threw herself into training with Yasuo. She learning sword play, archery, boating, and other skills one needed to know to live on your own. She took off like a duck in water. Everyday she looked forward to her lesson. Not just to learn, but to her away from Haruki. His eyes seemed to follow here wherever she went. He followed her with eyes filled with lust, even when he had a sex-hungry wife who was pregnant with his child. He made Rin nervous. The dark, emotionless eyes that emanated a feeling of evil that penetrated her very core.

Rin was sad when spring came. She had to stop her lessons with Yasuo. She still visited him before and after her work, but he was always tired, so the lessons were not as intense. By the middle of spring, Yasuo had nothing more to teacher Rin, but she still came. Instead of learning, she helped clean his house while he told her stories of far away lands. He told the stories so often that she knew them my heart. Haruki had found her helping clean Yasuo's house, but didn't say anything. He wanted Rin. He lusted for her. He yearned to feel himself in that hot tight body. Just thinking about it made him become hard. He had to take her even if it killed him.

* * *

"Rin," said Haruki one hot spring night over the dinner table, "I don't want you spending anymore time with that old half-demon anymore. You need to find yourself a husband."

"Why can't I spend _my_ time with Yasuo?" asked Rin, getting angry at what Haruki had just said. He wasn't her father, or brother, or any other family member. Where did he get the never to order her around, "And why would I want a husband?"

"It isn't' right for a girl to spend all her time cleaning some half demons house," said Haruki," and with the husband idea, well, you never know how much pleasure you get from a man until you experience it. Isn't that right darling?" Haruki sensually stroked Kuma's cheek with his finger. While Kuma closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, he was looking strait at Rin with the eyes that made her sick.

"Well, it is no one's business what I do with my spare time," said Rin angrily. Haruki smiled. He made her angry. Oh how he loved it. She was beautiful when she was angry.

"Talk has been going around. Talk of you giving sexual favors for the teaching he gives you." Rin paled… Haruki knew about the teaching… what was she going to do? She could be killed if the magistrate found her a threat to him… but what was that comment before? "I don't want you to dishonor _my_ house, so I want you to stop." He knew that would hit a nerve.

"What!" asked Rin standing up. "This is ridiculous! I don't care what people say, I am going to visit Yasuo."

"No, you won't!" said Haruki

"You can't stop me," spat Rin, "You have no…"

_SMACK!_

"You will be quiet," said Haruki grabbing Rin's hair. "I am the ruler of this house. You will obey me while you live under my roof."

She smacked his hand from her hair, "Then I'm leaving." Rin looked at Kuma as she sat there in total apathy. "I love you Kuma, but I'm leaving. I won't stay with this bastard. Why don't you come with me, and leave this life behind. It'll be just like it used to be. What do you say?"

"Get out of my house," said Kuma quietly. "I never want to see you again. You are no longer welcome in this house. I am ashamed I called you my family."

Rin looked at her in disbelief. "Fine," said Rin quietly with tears in her eyes. Rin went to her back room and packed her things, then took the back door out of the house. She had to go somewhere, and the only place she could think of was Yasuo.

* * *

She got to Yasuo's house and banged on his door. He opened the door rubbing the sleep from his silver eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was kicked out of my house," said Rin in a matter of fact tone. "Haruki knows that you have been teaching me. I don't know where to go."

"You can't stay here," said Yasuo.

Rin looked at Yasuo with contempt. "I can't stay here with you either?"

"That isn't what I am saying," said Yasuo putting his hand on her shoulder. "Because he knows, you are not safe in this village anymore. You need to go somewhere where people don't know that you have had some kind of teaching until you know it is safe."

"Where will I go?" asked Rin, tears coming to the corner of her eyes again.

"You can go to the Demon Lord's mansion. You will not be turned down," said Yasuo with a tone in his voice that said she couldn't argue.

"How do you know this?" asked Rin

""Because, I know a servant is leaving," said Yasuo grabbing some food and money, "I have an old friend there too, and I've told her about you. Her name is Misa, a black fox demon."

"Why?" asked Rin as he finished looking for things.

"Because I knew long ago that you would have to leave here. You were too good for this since the day you were born. Misa is expecting you in a few weeks at the most. You must be there in that time or the position may be filled."

"You have done so much for me," said Rin, "I am going to miss you so much."

"Don't worry about it. Arrangements have already been made," said Yasuo as he led Rin to the stable. "Here take my horse and this sack of food and other stuff. You must go now."

"Oh thank you Yasuo," said Rin hugging him.

"No problem," said Yasuo hugging her back.

"You always seem to know everything," said Rin looking at him.

"Not everything." He helped her onto his silver mare Gin.

"How can I repay you?" asked Rin.

"Just be safe and get going."

"I love you Yasuo," said Rin with new tears in her eyes. "You remind me of my father."

"Just go," said Yasuo slapping Gin's rear. The horse bolted off towards the Lord Demons mansion.

When Rin was finally out of view Yasuo turned to go inside when an arrow pierced his already weak heart. His life blood was flowing from him. Another and another arrow pierced him till he fell down in a pool of his own blood. He looked up into the face of his attacker… his murderer.

"You…" he whispered.

"You didn't expect me fool," said the man, "Where is Rin going?"

"I…I…I…," gasped Yasuo.

"You better tell me," said Haruki as he grabbed Yasuo's collar. "Tell me where she went."

Yasuo never gave a reply. He died protecting the one he thought of as a daughter. He died protecting _his_ daughter.

"Dammit," said Haruki as he threw the dead man on the ground. He had lost the chance to claim Rin once, but not again.

To be continued…

AN: Yes, Yasuo was Rin's father. I'll get into that later. No, the mansion they are going to isn't Shesshomaru's, but another one's. A wolf demon named Hiroshi. Can't wait till the next chapter myself. Press the little blue button and review.


	3. Standing Oblivious

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but one can always try

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

Chapter 3: Standing Oblivious

It had been at least a week since Rin left her village in a mad dash. She didn't even look back. She had this feeling, that if she did, she would never be able to leave. She was originally afraid that something would try to attack her, but it seemed she had someone looking out for her. She met no one on her long ride through the Demon Lord's territory. She had gone through a small village and bought herself arrows, a bow, and a small knife. She used all these on the journey to the mansion, sometimes shooting a rabbit, or catching a fish. By the end of the second week, Rin was wondering if she would ever see this Lord's mansion. She had heard it wasn't that far away. Yasuo had told that a wolf demon inhabited the area, and ruled it as Lord. Rin suddenly felt a pang of sorrow at her heart. She had hoped that Yasuo would be okay, but she had this feeling that he wasn't. She had wanted to go back when she first felt it that night when she left, but her mind told her that she was being scared, and needed to press on.

It had suddenly gotten a lot darker than it had been a few minutes ago. Rin decided that it was time to find a place to spend the night. She kept on until she found a small clearing in the forest. She dismounted Gin and got busy making a fire. After the fire was up and roaring, she took the time to take all of her things off of the tired Gin. With all her supplies now on the ground, Gin walked over to the middle of the clearing and started grazing. Rin became lost in thought as she remembered how nice Gin had been to her when she was still in the village.

'No!' thought Rin in her head, 'You have to get the village out of your head.'

A crack of a twig alerted Rin to the fact that she was still in a forest with lots of dangerous creatures around her. She went and grabbed her bow and arrows, and got ready for something to come bounding out of the forest. With the arrow aimed high, Rin was surprised when a rabbit came out of the forest. Smiling to herself, Rin took aim at the rabbit. She hadn't had any fresh meat in two days. The rabbit didn't even see it coming. Rin let the arrow fly, and it killed the rabbit in one clean hit. Rin decided that she would make a quick jerky as she started to clean the rabbit. She put all the extra meat on a hot rock next to the fire. She was glad that she had learned ways of preserving meat while on the road. She remembered when Yasuo had taught her that little trick…

_Flashback:_

Rin had been learning how to make jerky by cutting pieces of meat into small strips and placing them on hot rocks near the fire. She was putting the last piece on a rock when her hand slipped and burned the side of her wrist.

"OW!" exclaimed Rin quickly has she pulled her hand back.

"Let me see," said Yasuo as he looked at the burn. It wasn't that bad, but it still hurt. He went into that back of the room where he had herbs hanging up. He looked for a while until he broke off a piece from what looked like a birch tree. He went a ground up that small piece of bark until it was a fine powder. He added a small amount of water and some kind of sap. Rin really didn't care what kind of sap that was, it was a funny green color, so she didn't think it was from a tree. Yasuo took the concoction and put some one Rin's burn.

"That stings," said Rin complaining, but letting him put the odd smelling ointment on her wrist.

"Its ground birch from the North forest," said Yasuo spreading the mixture carefully. "There is also a little daisy milk and some jelly from a clam."

'I really didn't need to know that," said Rin not taking her eyes off the slightly green mixture, disliking it more and more.

"Yes you do," said Yasuo putting the mixture away. "You need to know this, so you can fix yourself if you burn yourself away from the village or when you're alone."

"Well, if I ever burn myself while I have some clam jelly on me, I'll know exactly how to use it," said Rin sarcastically.

Before Yasuo could respond, the cottage started filling with smoke. Yasuo quickly took the smoking meat off the rocks.

"I hope you like your meat well done," said Yasuo laughing.

_End Flashback:_

A rustling of leaves brought Rin immediately out of her memories. She picked up her bow as a white fox jumped out of the bush. Rin was apprehensive as she watched the fox. White foxes were considered signs of calamity. She needed to get the fox away from her as fast as possible. She looked at a piece of jerky, and she threw it in the opposite direction of her. The fox didn't go after the meat right away, but for a moment just looked at her. Rin thought that the fox was assessing her, but had this odd look of dislike in its eyes. The fox ran off, just as Rin was thinking about aiming the bow at it. Rin hoped the fox wouldn't come back with any more friends. The old saying was that black fox was good luck, a white fox was calamity, and three foxes together signify disaster. Rin took the jerky off the rocks as she let her mind wander over the tale her mother told her when she was little.

* * *

Deep inside the forest, the white fox was running towards a specific point in the forest. It seemed to know exactly where it was going. It stopped in an open clearing filled with wild flowers and logs.

"Misa!" yelled the white fox, which was no longer a white fox, but was now a beautiful woman with pointed ears and short white hair and pale skin. She was standing barefoot in the grass. She was looking around her, trying to find someone.

"What?" asked a woman with olive colored skin and long black hair that hung down her back and swayed in the wind.

"I saw that Rin girl," said the white fox demon with contempt.

"So, she isn't as plain as they say, is she, Amarante?" said Misa, entertained by how her friend was acting.

"Well," said Amarante trying to explain herself, "I was expecting someone who was…"

"Old, wrinkled, and withered?" asked Misa, finishing her sentence.

"Well, Yasuo said it was one of his close friends, so I guess that is what I was expecting," said Amarante with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well, you know better than to assume what is going on, don't you Amarante?" asked Misa.

"Yeah, yeah," said Amarante glaring at Misa. "But, Lord Hiroshi won't like it too much, either. You know he was expecting an old hag too."

"I know, but he'll understand," said Misa. "He has to understand." Misa was truly wondering if Lord Hiroshi would really understand.

"Well?" asked Amarante

"Well, what?" answered Misa.

"You didn't hear anything of what I was saying, did you?" asked Amarante becoming angry.

"Do I ever listen to anything you say?" replied Misa. "I see you mouth move, but nothing of intelligence comes out."

This made Amarante angry. She hated not being the center of attention, and right now, Rin was the center of attention everywhere Amarante went. Rin this and Rin that, and do you think Rin will be able to do the same job that Kimi did, and what do you think Rin would like to eat? All these questions that weren't about her. Even her lover, Natsu was part of the people who were asking lots of questions, and trying to make it all nice and comfy for Rin. 'Not if I have anything to do about it,' thought Amarante to herself. She would make Rin's life a living hell, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Everyone knew that Amarante was the one who trained all of the new servants. She would just have to be the one to get Rin to leave the mansion and go back where she came from.

"Are you listening?" asked Misa, seeing that Amarante was in her own little world.

"What?" asked Amarante dazed and confused.

"Oh nothing," said Misa walking back towards the mansion. "You do know that you will never be Lord Hiroshi's mate."

"What are you talking about," said Amarante blushing.

"Oh, nothing," said Misa as she turned into a black fox and ran towards the mansion.

"I wonder what she has up her sleeve, said Amarante, looking back into the dense forest. It always seemed that Misa knew exactly what everyone was thinking…sometimes even better than the Lord himself. She had to admit it to herself that she wanted to become the Lord's mate. It would make her life happy to be called Lady Amarante and be able to get rid of Misa once and for all. But she wasn't the type that Lord Hiroshi liked, but Rin was.

Angry for making herself think of that stupid girl again, Amarante changed into a white fox, and ran after Misa.

* * *

Rin continued to ride in the morning, and by mid afternoon could see the Lord's home in the distance. She was finally in sight of the mansion, and she was very happy about that. She could see that there were flowers around the front doors, under windows, and around patios. Rin sighed as she thought of the flower gardens at home. She loved flowers. She could see the hydrangea and the azalia in full bloom under all the windows. Blossoms for Cherry trees showered the ground with their white petals near the front gates. Snow willows and peach trees stood tall and proud near a patio with a man standing in the doorway.

He was a tall man, with long silver hair. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he heard something and turned around. Just before he went back inside though, he looked over to where Rin was riding her silver mare. He paused for a moment and went back inside.

Rin let out a sigh of relief. Her heart was beating like a drum. She didn't even know the guy and she already felt like this about him. 'It must be my imagination,' thought Rin to herself.

She started on her journey again, when that same white fox ran in front of her. The white fox growled and Gin reared and threw Rin from her back. The fox made a sound like it was laughing, and ran off. As Rin started to get up, a black fox was at her side. Well, it didn't stay a black fox. An olive hand was on her forearm and a woman with long black hair was helping her. Rin seemed to have forgotten her manners as she didn't say thank you or anything else like that. She actually didn't say anything. She was so stunned that words seemed to leave her for a moment. The woman, on the other hand, was talking nonstop.

"I can't believe she did this," said the mysterious lady as she finished helping Rin to her feet. "She can be so immature at times." She looked at her confused state, and smiled. "That fox that just passed by you and startled your horse was Amarante." She helped Rin onto her horse. The woman was still slightly confused as Rin still had this look of utter disbelief on her face. "What?" asked Misa, "Didn't Yasuo tell you anything? I'm Misa."

"Oh," said Rin, her voice coming back to her. "You are the one that I'm supposed to meet. I'm here to take the place of Kimi."

"Yes, I know," said Misa absent mindedly. "Lets get you to the mansion."

"Okay," said Rin.

"So, how are you Rin?" asked Misa looking up at Rin from the ground.

"Oh, very good," said Rin having the need to be very proper.

"That's good," said Misa, noticing her nervousness.

"What am I going to do at the mansion?" asked Rin, trying to make it less polite.

"Well, you won't do what Kimi was doing, because Kimi was Lord Hiroshi's personal servant," said Misa with a smile.

"I don't understand," said the very naive Rin.

"Kimi was Hiroshi's _personal_ servant," said Misa, using her fingers to emphasize the hidden message.

"Oh," said Rin,"…OH!"

"Yeah," said Misa with a smile," Glad you get it, cause I really didn't want to explain it any farther."

"Well, what am I going to do?" asked Rin.

"Well, before Kimi became a…," said Misa clearing her throat, "servant, she was in charge of the plants and gardens in the area. We never had anyone after her give the gardens any justice, so I'm hoping to see what you can do with them."

"Alright, so anything else?" asked Rin, glad that she might be able to do something she liked to do.

"Well, I don't really know. You'll have to train with Amarante before you can really do anything, unless the Lord says you don't have to," said Misa pulling a flower from a tree and placing it in her hair.

"I…I… have t-t-to meet L-L-Lord Hiroshi?" stuttered Rin.

"Yeah," said Misa, getting a little freaked out by the way Rin suddenly changed her attitude. "He's the one you have to convince to let you do something. I don't think you'll see him today. He has a guest."

"Oh?" said Rin not trying to be too nosy.

"Yeah," said Misa, "It's Lord Sesshomaru from the north. Lord Hiroshi's father originally owned the land that Lord Sesshomaru now has, so if Lord Sesshomaru has a question, he comes to Lord Hiroshi."

"Oh, I think I get it," said Rin, whose mind was only on the silver haired man, and wondered if that was Lord Sesshomaru.

"It's getting dark," said Misa looking around her. The two had been walking for hours and were finally at the gate. "You'll sleep with me in my room, and I'll have someone take care of your horse."

"Thank you," said Rin finally realizing that she was really tired.

Rin dismounted as Misa went to find someone to take care of Rin's horse. Misa came back to find Rin leaning against a tree sleeping with all her luggage.

"She is going to be very good for this place," said Misa almost to herself, "She is going to lighten the mood since Kimi left."

Misa carried Rin to her room, oblivious of Lord Sesshomaru standing in the hallway, and the sudden slowing of steps as she passed him with Rin in her arms.

To be continued…

What do you think… this was a really long one. 6 pages and I really wanted to stop it a long time ago. I'm thinking about writing a more modern setting one, but it might get into my way with writing this one… I don't know… tell me what you think… I'll give you a preview…

Preview of Unnamed present-ish time one

_Beep Beep Beep_

The body under the blankets didn't want to get up. She would do anything not to have to get up and go to school today. It was the first day back to school, and she wasn't looking forward to it.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Rin pulled a little of the blankets away from her head as she listened to the beeping, positive that the noise had gotten louder. 'Just close your eyes,' said Rin to herself, 'and you won't remember where you are.'

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Rin was just about to turn the alarm clock off when a hand beat her too it. Rin looked up into the face of Mrs. Johnson, the "House Mother".

"Rin," yelled Mrs. Johnson, "If you don't get up and dressed NOW, you'll miss breakfast and the bus, and you'll have to walk, cause I'm not driving you."

Rin grumbled something about Mrs. Johnson being a fat toad, before she left and almost instantly felt a wooden spoon hit her square on the head.

"Don't you say things like that, you ungrateful orphan," said Mrs. Johnson from the doorway. "You are in a nice place and there are many children who would love to be in your shoes." With that the woman left the doorway.

Rin looked up to see seven beds already made, and no one around. Rin got dressed and watch a mouse run out of her closet. "Yeah, such a nice place," said Rin in a grumble.

She put on her shoes and watched as one of her toes could be seen through both the shoe and the sock. "Who would want to live in my shoes, you old hag!" yelled Rin. She always wondered how that old hag had ever married.

Rin hurried down stairs to see 20 other children eating breakfast. Rin was the oldest, and the only one in high school. They all lived in Madam Carol's House of Orphans. Basically, they lived in a dilapidated boarding house from the 1900s with a crotchety old hag that only wanted the money. What really bugged Rin was that Mrs. Johnson's name wasn't even Carol, it was Prudence.

She sat down and began eating when a bell rang and everyone stood up. Rin put down her spoon that was covered in yesterday's oatmeal, and stood. 'So goes another day in the life of an unwanted orphan,' thought Rin to herself.

So, what do you think?


	4. Intriguing Qualities

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but when I stage a coup to take over the world, I will…evil laughing

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: AH! I can't figure out a good day to update on, so I update whenever I feel like it… the only problem with this is that I have problems with updating everyday because I wrote a new chapter the night before. Give me a good day for all of you, and I'll try to stick to it. Oh, and if you find this moving to slow, just tell me and I'll try to speed it up. THANKS!**

Chapter 4: Intriguing Qualities

The night was dark as the billowing clouds covered the moon and the stars killing off all the light. The only sound that could be heard was feet running through the forest, snapping twigs or rustling leaves in near by bushes. Panting could be heard coming from the runner.

Rin was running… she didn't know why. She was running through a familiar forest. It was the one right by the village… her village. She had this feeling that something really bad had already happened. She had to know what. She was running with all her might.

'Not the villagers, not the villagers!' screamed Rin in the mind. She knew all the villagers, and everyone was close to her. Her heart told her that someone she loved dearly had died. Rin shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. She would deal with that when she came to it. If she was right?

Her running came to a startling halt as she was suddenly in the middle of the village. She looked around her, everything seemed quiet. She started to walk towards Yasuo's home. She knew that, if anything was wrong, Yasuo would know the answer.

As she was walking, her feet making sounds on the hard, dry earth, her mind began to wander. 'Why am I here?' asked Rin to herself. 'What is going…?'

Her feet suddenly went deeper in the earth. She looked down at her feet. They were in a pool of blood. Her eyes were fixated on the red liquid that engulfed her feet. 'Such a dark red,' though Rin. She had never seen so much blood in her life. She had never seen blood so red. A crimson red, like maple leaves at the end of autumn, or like the camellia blossoms. She didn't where it was coming from; she just knew it was there.

A sudden movement made Rin look up to see Haruki standing over a dead Yasuo. Rin let out a blood curdling scream. Haruki noticed it was her, and moved over to her. She didn't know what to do. He was coming closer and closer. He was right near her, his eyes shining with lust. All of a sudden, a streak of silver was between the murderer and Rin. With one slash of his claws, Haruki was dead, and Rin was in the arms of her savior.

"Rin," said the voice huskily.

"Oh, thank you for saving me," said Rin into his chest.

"Oh, Rin," said the voice, his amber eyes dancing.

"Yes," said Rin as she lifted her mouth towards his, waiting for him to seize her lips.

"It's time to get up."

"What!" asked Rin confused about what had happened. Her handsome, silver haired hero had been replaced by an anxious Misa who was shaking her by the shoulders.

"You have to get up now," said Misa quickly, "Put this on."

"Ok," said Rin, quickly putting the kimono that was thrown to her on. While Misa was fixing her hair, Rin looked down at the kimono she was wearing. It was a dark blue kimono with lotus blossoms at the bottom in what looked like a pool with different shades of blue in it.

"I can't wear this," said Rin looking at Misa.

"You can," said Misa, "And you will," Misa had just finished putting Rin's hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

"Alright," said Rin, accepting that she wasn't going to win," I'll make sure to wash it before I give it back."

"You don't have to do that," said Misa as she observed Rin, "It's yours. Come one, we have to go."

"You're giving me this beautiful kimono to me?" asked Rin breathlessly. "Why?"

"Because I am your friend and that's what friends do," said Misa with a smile as she half-dragged Rin down the hallway to Lord Hiroshi's study.

* * *

"Are you sure?" asked Lord Hiroshi as he looked at his friend from over a scroll. Hiroshi was a wolf demon with black hair that had a few red highlights in it. His tan skin made a big impact on his clear blue eyes. He was tall with broad shoulders. He wasn't as tall as his friend, but they could almost look eye to eye.

"Yes," said Lord Sesshomaru as he looked out of the near by window. Lord Sesshomaru was tall with long silver hair. His amber eyes and purple strips on his cheeks made it almost impossible to notice him.

"What are you going to do about the help you need?" asked Hiroshi as he laid down the scroll deciding that it could wait till later. His friend's problem was more important.

"I'll find a way," said Sesshomaru in his same apathetic voice. Most of his servants had been lost in a recent epidemic that affected humans. What he needed was a few demon servants, and his friend was the best place to go. Lord Sesshomaru had done so many favors for him, that he at least owed him a few servants. But his pride kept him in the way of asking.

"Well," said Hiroshi leaning back in his chair, "I've sent for six servants for you to take with you."

"Are any of them human?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes, one, I think," said Hiroshi. "But, I've heard good remakes about her, and she will work hard."

"Has she ever worked for you," asked Sesshomaru.

"Well, no," said Hiroshi.

"Then how do you know that she is a hard worker?" asked Sesshomaru, aggravated that his friend would give him an inexperienced servant.

"She made it all the way here from a village in the western most tip of my land. She made it here alone," said Hiroshi knowing that this would intrigue Shesshomaru.

"She made it alone?" asked Sesshomaru, his voice not giving away to his curiosity. ' I must meet her,' though Sesshomaru to himself. 'For a woman to make it that far in bandit filled land was worth something.'

Before anymore conversation could continue, there was a soft knock on the door.

In marched Misa and Amarante, the two fox demons along with Natsu, a male cat demon, and Ryu, a male lizard demon. The last two in were Miki, a flower demon who seemed to catch the eye of Lord Hiroshi. Something told Lord Sesshomaru that Lord Hiroshi would be spending a lot of time with him because of this little flower demon with the pleasant face. Lastly was the human woman. He saw her glance at him, and turn a pinkish color. 'She's embarrassed to see me,' thought Lord Sesshomaru. He looked at her for a minute and realized that she was the woman on the ridge and the woman who was carried in by the darker of the two fox demons.

* * *

Rin looked at the man with the silver hair. Misa had told Rin on the way that they were going to go to the manor of Lord Hiroshi's friend, Lord Sesshomaru. Rin had been surprised that the lord was the silver haired man she seemed to be instantly infatuated with. When he noticed her looking at him, she blushed and looked away. She had never been so timid in front of a man before. The other lord began to speak and take her attention off of Lord Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru will be taking all of to his home where an epidemic has spread and killed most of his human servants. He needs you to help him run his household. Behave as you would for me. He is your Lord now."

Rin noticed as he continually looked over at Miki who continually blushed when they caught each other's eye. She wondered what was going on between them. The two male demons and Misa seemed to be totally acceptant of the situation. Rin glanced further down the line to Amarante. She was shocked by what she saw. She was livid. She was so angry. Rin wondered why. A voice brought her attention from the other servants again, but this time it was Lord Sesshomaru who spoke.

"We will be leaving tonight," said Lord Sesshomaru in an emotionless voice. "Pack what you wish to carry, and gather outside with what you will bring with."

Rin was glad that she hadn't had the time to settle in. She was worried about Gin who was most likely very tired. As she lost in thoughts about her horse, Rin didn't notice the set of eyes focused on her.

* * *

With the quick silence that followed, Sesshomaru was able to study this human woman that intrigued him so much. She seemed very docile at the moment. She looked very feminine, but had a secret strength. She must have one to make it through the forest. She also had a simple gift with people. He surveyed the rest of the group and noticed that some liked her and some hated her. He glanced at Lord Hiroshi who was absorbed in the flower demon. He looked back at the group and noticed that the white fox demon was looking angrily at both the flower demon and the human woman. This could be a problem. It seemed that light fox had some allies. He could smell her scent on both the cat and lizard demon. She would easily be able to manipulate all the other men in his household. He would have to have Jaken warn them. Sesshomaru was going to make it clear that he wasn't going to have hostility in his work. He glanced over at the other fox demon who was also glancing at the human. Unlike the white fox, who had a frown on her face, this other fox had a barely noticeable smile on her face. At least this lowly human had a few allies. 'No…,' Lord Sesshomaru though, 'this human isn't lowly. She has strength and intelligence that she isn't displaying for the world to see. She is not lowly."

Lord Hiroshi's voice brought Sesshomaru out of his thoughts.

"You may all go," said Lord Hiroshi, his eyes looking back at the flower demons eyes. The servants filed out and left the two lords together.

To be continued…

AN: I thought I'd give you shorter one than usual since I'll be updating within a day of my last one. Enjoy, and please review. I look forward to answering reviews. It is fun! I'll update again when I can think of the next chapter, or at least until I get a day that works for most people. Thanks… again. (Ashley)


	5. Awkward Conversations

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but who says that when I rule the earth as MADAM PRESIDENT, in all capital letters, that I won't. I see this coming in… a few hundred years… I can wait.

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: Hey, I think I might be needing a beta soon. If anyone is interested, just tell me, and I'll… tell you in return. Thank you for your undivided and complete attention. **

Chapter 5: Awkward Conversations

The traveling had been tough. Everyone seemed worn out and cranky. Everyone, that is except Lord Sesshomaru. He was always ready to move on. In the beginning, everyone had been…alright. Amarante had been angry; Natsu and Ryu were always by her side. Misa was cheerful, and Miki was sad. Now, Natsu and Ryu were always fighting with each other at Amarante's side, Miki was depressed, and Misa wasn't so cheerful. Amarante was crabby, argumentative, bitch, and just a regular pain in the ass. It was the worst for Rin. With few rests and the traveling always starting before dawn and lasting well past dusk, she became worn out very quickly. She never complained though. She talked with people, and slept whenever and wherever she could. No one seemed to notice the traveling taking such an effect on Rin, or better yet, no one cared. Rin had talked to Miki and found out that she had been in love with Lord Hiroshi. Rin also found out that Amarante hated Miki because Lord Hiroshi seemed to favor Miki above everyone else, even when Kimi was there. Amarante had wanted to be Lord Hiroshi's mate, but, instead, got a job helping new servants that happened to come along fit in better. Miki had become Kimi's maid-servant, and was always close to Lord Hiroshi's chambers. Miki told Rin that Amarante had said that she (Miki) had slept with Lord Hiroshi while he was still seeing Kimi, but that wasn't true. Now it seemed Amarante hated Rin, but she (Miki) didn't know why. With what Miki had told her, along with some stuff Misa had told her, Rin's mind was spinning. All this gossip and there seemed no end to it.

* * *

She was sad. Miki needed Lord Hiroshi so much. She felt so incomplete without him. He had said his goodbyes in a _big_ way. She hadn't had her monthly flow yet, so she wondered if she was pregnant. She hoped she would be. At least she would have a little remembrance of him. After Kimi left, she had still been his servant. She had, at first, only talked to him and consoled him, but it got more and more intense. She realized soon after she started on this journey, that she loved him and had loved him for a long time. The more she thought about this, the more depressed she had become. She was glad that she was here with people who did care about her. Misa was here, and Misa was a good friend of hers. The one person who she didn't expect to affect her so much was Rin. She had just been there, and she wanted to know what was bothering her. She didn't say anything or judge her. She just sat there and let her tell her anything that she needed to say. When it was time to look for food, Rin was the one who always came back with the most, and she shared it with everyone. She was so good at making food and preserving it. She would make some dried food and put some away so she wouldn't have to go looking for some. Rin had even made something for her stomach ache. She didn't have to, but she did. It took Rin only a few minutes to find what she needed, and made the potion quickly. Miki had felt better in a few minutes. She was going to thank Rin, but something in her eyes said to keep quite about it. She seemed as though she didn't want anyone to know what she could do. Rin confused her, but eventually forgot about it. She was just happy to be Rin's friend, and just to have her as a friend.

* * *

They were all moving so slowly. They were all tiring so quickly. 'This is why I never travel with lesser demons,' thought Sesshomaru as he continued to walk ahead of everyone else. 'This is why I don't travel with anyone I don't have to.' They were all getting edgy to. The flower demon was just plain sad. She got slower every day. The pale fox was continually glaring at the human. He had heard her name enough…

"Rin," said Sesshomaru softly.

Yes, that was her name. She was the only one who was moving at the same pace. She was sleeping as much as possible and eating as much as possible. She knew how to travel. Sesshomaru heard two male voices arguing. 'Those two are at it again,' though Sesshomaru. I think I can wait one more day. We are close enough to stop.

* * *

Sesshomaru stopped and turned around. No one seemed to notice that he stopped. They were all so far away. All of them, except for Rin. She looked up and stopped and waited. When the darker fox demon saw her stop, she stopped and the rest stopped also.

"We are going to rest for the rest of the day," said Sesshomaru in his normal, monotone voice. It wasn't very loud, but everyone heard it. It seemed to silence the entire world.

"We are close to the end of the forest and near my estate. That means that there will be demons and thieves around. I am going to take the male demons and we will search the area. You _women_ can bath in the near by river." With that, Sesshomaru, Natsu, and Ryu left.

Amarante wasn't very happy about that. She wanted her two love slaves with her as long as possible. They kept her safe from having to find all the conveniences like water and food. 'If they aren't there,' thought Amarante, 'then I have to find it all myself.' She looked over at Rin who was leaning up against a tree. 'Unless I can get that piece of filth to get it all for me,' thought Amarante with an evil grin.

Amarante got up and started to walk towards the peacefully sleeping Rin. She had her knife and bow with her. 'Such a silly girl,' thought Amarante. 'She thinks she knows how to use those things?'

Misa was suddenly in front of Amarante.

"**What do you think you're doing,"** asked Misa in a soft growl.

"**I'm going to get that filth to do the same things I'd have my slaves do,"** said Amarante with a smug look.

"**Amarante,**" said Misa with a raised eyebrow, "**If you are desperate, you can surely find a male demon out there to satisfy your sex drive."**

"**That isn't what I mean!"** yelled Amarante, her face becoming closer to Misa. She looked back and noticed that Rin was up and looking at the two who were a few feet from where they were standing.

"**See, you woke her," **said a very angry Misa. "**She hasn't had enough sleep since we started."**

"**That whore is probably used to not getting enough sleep,"** spat Amarante.

"**Don't say things like that in front of her**," said Misa quickly.

"**It's not like that bitch can understand what we're saying," **said Amarante with a quick look at Rin.

"**Well, I don't care; you aren't going to get _her_ to do your dirty work. If you want something then you have to get it yourself,"** said Misa pointing towards where Amarante had been.

"**Fine**," said Amarante as she stomped away.

"**Thank you,"** said Rin quietly as she got up and headed towards the river with a bag and her bow.

Misa stood there confused. 'Did she understand exactly what we were saying?' thought Misa to herself. 'Rin had said something, but it was so quiet it could have been anything,' thought Misa. She watched Rin disappear into the bush towards the river. 'I guess she is going to take a bath,' thought Misa. She went off to get some food, not smelling the demon that wondered on the outside of camp.

* * *

The forest seemed… calm… but too calm. Sesshomaru had the others go off in different directions to see if they could find anything. He doubted that they would find anything, but you could never be too careful. Personally he just wanted to send those mindless slaves away. They were always fighting over that pale fox demon. They seemed to be intoxicated by the vixen. Sesshomaru continued to search, when he caught a smell. It wasn't demon, but human. She followed the smell. He stopped when he smelt water along with the smell. 'It must be that human taking a bath,' thought Sesshomaru to himself. He turned around and went back to where they were supposed to meet. A change in the wind brought a new, dangerous smell to Sesshomaru's sensitive nose. He looked around him, trying to figure out where it was coming from. The metallic smell of blood came to his nose while an unknown twang came to his ears.

"Rin," said Sesshomaru softly.

He ran towards the river. Through the bushes and grass, he traveled. He didn't know why he was concerned, but he knew he had to get to the river. There was this… feeling… in his stomach that said 'protect her'. He burst through the bushes to find the river red with blood. He looked over to where Rin was. She had a cut on her forehead and was breathing heavy next to a tree. Across from her was a gecko demon with an arrow hole through the head. The arrow was stuck into a nearby tree. He could see that Rin was very powerful for a woman of her kind. He was right in first thinking that. She did have a hidden strength. She was nothing like the other female humans that Sesshomaru had met. Sesshomaru stepped next to Rin. She looked up at him and he looked down at her, their eyes locked. They stayed in battle like that, each daring the other to look away. A noisy crashing through the forest brought the two to their senses. Rin looked to where the sound was coming, while Sesshomaru took advantage of Rin's naked body. Her skin was different from the others. It wasn't naturally dark, but it was darker than the skin of her back and stomach. Her neck, arms, and most of her legs were tanned. Some of the skin on her back was actually red from over exposure to the sun. Her arms were tapered, but as she held her bow to her chest, Sesshomaru could see the muscle in them. Her legs were long for her size and muscular too. He smirked as he took advantage of the view of her chest. The bow did nothing to hide her breasts. His eyes scanned the rest of her body. She was actually rather good looking. He knew he couldn't look any longer. He grabbed the blanket she had brought and threw it over her body as Natsu and Ryu came crashing through brush.

"Lord Sesshomaru," said Natsu, out of breath, "Are you okay?"

Lord Sesshomaru did nothing but glare at the young cat demon. 'What a stupid question,' thought Sesshomaru.

"Of course you are," said Ryu quickly, catching sight of Rin. "How did you kill the demon, my lord?"

"Yes," said Natsu, trying to regain some of his lost composure. "How did you kill this gecko demon so quickly that this much blood would be spilt?"

"Can't you see that I didn't kill it?" said Sesshomaru pointing down at Rin, "She killed it."

Both of them looked at Rin, which made her blush. Things had happened so fast. She just did what she knew she had to, to survive. She looked down at the blanket that lightly clung to her. She quickly wrapped it around her. 'How did this get here?' Rin asked herself. She looked over at Sesshomaru. He was looking at her. The blush grew more profusely on her face as she realized that he had been looking at her. She realized that she wasn't blushing because she didn't want him to look at her, it was just the fact that he did.

Rin stood up and picked up her things. Without a word she went back to camp. Before she got to camp she put on some clothing. She felt some water come down her forehead, and wiped it away. She looked down at her hand, and it had blood on it. She made her way back to camp and sat down by her tree. She made a fire quickly and looked through her bag. She found everything she needed. She took a cloth and put some water from her canteen on it. She cleaned the blood off her forehead and dried it with another. She took the bag she had gotten and pored some of the powder onto a leaf. She took the wet cloth and rung the rest of the water out of it. She took the wet powder and made it into a kind of rub. She took the slightly pink mixture and spread it on her cut. She took the wet cloth and ripped it into one long piece of cloth. She wrapped it around her head under the hair that hung right around her face. She was busy making a stew out of dried jerky when Lord Sesshomaru was suddenly next to her.

"I'm glad I didn't have to be the one to patch you up," said Lord Sesshomaru with a hint of humor.

Rin just looked at him. She didn't know exactly what to say. This was something she never seen before in her new lord. "Yes," she said, her focus going back on her food, "I know how to take care of myself."

"I can see that," said Lord Sesshomaru as he put the arrow next to her. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Rin sighed softly. Her lord was going back to his apathetic way again. "A dear friend taught me before I left," said Rin simply.

"That kind of accuracy isn't the one gained by just occasional study, how often did you study?" Lord Sesshomaru was interested in this odd human who seemed bent on avoiding his questions.

"It was just beginners luck. I really didn't study," said Rin, wanting this interrogation to stop. She didn't yet know what her new lord would think of her having any kind of learning.

"Well, someone must have taught you how to put that rub and bandages on," said Lord Sesshomaru, continuing in his interrogation.

Rin thought that this would have been better if he didn't have the emotionless voice to ask all the questions in. "I lived in a village full of children. You learn quickly how to heal simple wounds."

"I see," said Lord Sesshomaru looking down at her Rin. She wasn't looking at him, but was actually doing everything possible to avoid him. "What did you do in Lord Hiroshi's mansion?" asked Lord Sesshomaru changing the subject.

"I didn't actually do anything," said Rin looking up at Lord Sesshomaru. Her insides tightened as she looked upon him. He was very handsome. "I had just gotten there, when I was sent on this journey," said Rin looking down again, stirring the soup again.

"What were you going to do?" asked Sesshomaru?

"I don't know what I was going to do," said Rin truthfully.

"What were you going to do?" asked Sesshomaru, trying to get this girl to talk. She never seemed to talk like the other ones. This was mostly because the other women and men were always speaking in different languages. He also knew that she wasn't speaking because he would have recognized her voice. It was high, like most women's but it was richer and made you want to listen to her. He looked away from her, cursing himself. 'Just because she is strong doesn't mean that she is for you,' said a voice in his head. 'Remember your father. His love for that human woman was his weakness, and it killed him.'

"I was told that I might be in charge of the flower gardens, but I don't know now," said Rin truthfully.

"Then that is what you are going to do," said Lord Sesshomaru, walking away.

Rin was confused that the fact that he just walked away. She just shrugged and looked in her bag for some bowls. She found three bowls that had once been the husks of tropical nuts from far away islands. Yasuo had traveled when he was younger. He had brought these back and they became as hard as bowls when they were dried and the hair taken off of them. Rin ladled soup into the three bowls and brought them over to Misa and Mika. They took them with smiles and the three ate in peace.

To be continued

* * *

There was something I wanted to say, but I can't remember. If you have any questions, just ask. Click the little button and please review. 


	6. Lost in the Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but wait till my lawyers see this…

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: Hey, Yes, I know it has been a long time since I updated last, and now they may be far and few between. There will be a school play coming up, and I have a part in it. By summer, I'll have lots of time to write. If I have my way, I'll be buying myself a laptop. **

Chapter 6: Lost in the Dark

The next day hadn't been bad. After a full night of sleep, everyone seemed to be in better moods. Everyone seemed more eager to travel. They moved easily through the forest. Lord Sesshomaru had mentioned that his mansion wasn't far from where they had stopped. By midday, they had breached the edge of the forest. Outside the trees, a large open area greeted them. It was an open grass field with a path leading up a hill. There was soft, green grass as far as the eye could see. It seemed to be a sea of green. There were flowers every so often, giving the appearance of islands. A rock was present in the middle of the field. The group continued walking until a brook could be heard.

"I am moving on ahead," said Lord Sesshomaru in a quite voice. "There is a cool stream right over there, and if you follow the path, you will come right to the mansion. When you get inside, you will be greeted by a little green toad demon named Jaken. He'll tell you all what to do."

With that, Sesshomaru continued on his way, while the rest of the group just sat there.

"Should we follow?" asked Natsu quietly.

"I don't think so," said Miki softly. "It didn't seem like following was an option."

"Well," said Amarante sharply, "Let's just wait here for a few minutes then."

Miki shrank back a little. She was a very shy person.

"Well," said Rin wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, "I'm getting out of here. The faster we get there, the sooner the day is over." She took Gin's reins in her hand, and walked down the path, while the rest of the group just looked at her. Miki scrambled up, and followed Rin, closely followed by Misa.

Amarante just sat there on the ground, Natsu and Ryu by her side.

"What should we do Amarante?" asked Natsu.

"Shut up Natsu," spat Amarante. "Do you ever think for yourself?"

Natsu just sat there. He had always followed Amarante. If she told him to do something, he always did it. He was a follower, not a leader.

Ryu observed quietly. He knew that if he kept his mouth shut, they wouldn't bother him. He looked over at the rest of the group walking towards the unseen house. He was arguing with himself, wondering if he should follow or wait.

He didn't have to wait much longer, as Amarante got up and started walking. The two quickly jumped up and caught up with the enraged woman.

Amarante was fuming as she walked towards the others. She was always someone who made the decisions, or at least consulted on what to do. No one had ever just done what they wanted to do around her. This human was strange. She wasn't afraid of traveling with demons. She just kept doing what she wanted to do. She didn't follow the rules. Humans listened to demons. Humans were afraid of demons. Amarante smirked as she thought of a plan. She would teach this human the lesson, if she had to break all the rules to do it.

* * *

"Welcome back Master," said a little toad creature.

Sesshomaru walked into the hall while two demons closed the door behind him. They stepped forward and bowed before they moved away. Sesshomaru viewed his home. It was an old mansion that Lord Hiroshi had once lived in. He looked down at his green servant.

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru. "The new servants will be here soon. There are a few problems that could come up with them. There is a white fox demon that has issues with another female servant. Make sure you warn the other servants about her, so the other female servant won't be in any kind of danger. I also want you to stay here and wait for them. Have someone direct them to their chambers and later to my study. I will need to assign duties."

"I can do it my lord," offered Jaken.

Lord Sesshomaru said nothing.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," said Jaken bowing low. Sesshomaru walked past Jaken to go to his study, but Jaken stopped him momentarily.

"My Lord?" questioned Jaken quietly. "Who is this female servant?"

Sesshomaru hoped it wouldn't come to this. Jaken was very racist against humans. "Her name is Rin, and she is a human."

"A human, my lord?" questioned Jaken.

"Yes," said Sesshomaru starting to walk away again.

"But, my lord," said a confused Jaken, "Why would you get a human? They are so weak."

"Do not question your master Jaken," said Sesshomaru quietly.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," said Jaken quickly, bowing to the ground.

When Jaken put his head up, he noticed that Lord Sesshomaru was gone. The toad sighed in relief. He respected his lord, but he was frightened by him also.

He headed toward the kitchen to tell the servants the lord's message, when he stopped. Did he really want to protect a lowly human? He was about to turn around, when he felt a shiver run up his spine. Lord Sesshomaru would know if he didn't do it.

He walked into the kitchen, catching the attention of all the servants.

"Attention," said Jaken. "There are more servants coming soon. Lord Sesshomaru wants you to look out for one of them."

There was a pause when finally a brave soul asked, "What do they look like?"

Jaken looked over at the woman with dark blue hair. "What did you say Ai?" asked Jaken.

"Well," said Ai stepping forward, "We can't look out for them unless we know who they are."

Jaken sighed. "Her name is Rin, and she's the only human in the bunch."

"What?" asked a male voice. Jaken looked over at Matsu, a weasel demon. He had short brown hair, ears, and a tail. "Do you really expect us to look after a human?"

"Yes," said Jaken, "Because that is what Lord Sesshomaru wants."

"Why would he get a human servant anyway?" asked Toshi, a coyote demon.

"Because he didn't have a choice," said Jaken, not entirely truthfully. He didn't know if that was the story, but it was better than being killed.

"Why does he care about her than?" asked Matsu.

"A wounded servant isn't worth anything," said Jaken.

"Whatever," said Matsu as he turned around and left to do some out door chores.

"Ai," called Jaken as the servants were going back to work.

"Yes?" asked Ai, walking over to him.

"I need you to take care of the new servants. They need to go to their quarters and after that, visit Lord Sesshomaru in his study," said Jaken.

"Yes," said Ai as she dried her hands on a rag. She deposited the rag on a table, and followed Jaken to the hall.

"You have to wait for them here," said Jaken as he left to do something else.

'So, I have to wait,' thought Ai as she just stood there, looking at the door.

* * *

Rin sighed as she continued to ride to the mansion. She could see it in the distance, and was appalled by what she saw. Lord Sesshomaru had said something about tending the flowers. Well Rin would have to grow them first. There were no visible flowers, and it was nearly summer. Rin looked ahead, and saw that the mansion was closer that it seemed when she last looked at it.

"What do you think we'll do?" asked Miki.

"I don't know," said Misa truthfully. "He isn't like Lord Hiroshi."

"We'll just do what we're told," said Rin quietly. They both heard her. Their ears were stronger than hers.

"Of course," said Miki.

They continued on their trip in silence. When they made it to the doors, Rin dismounted from Gin. She patted Gin and led her to the giant wood doors. Rin tried to open the door, but it was too heavy. Misa stepped in front of Rin and smiled.

"Don't worry about it Rin," said Misa. "It is a door meant to keep humans out. Unless you are extremely strong, you won't be able to open the door."

Misa pushed the door open, and stepped inside. She looked around when a woman with blue hair was in front of her.

"Welcome," said the woman, "My name's Ai. I am to show you to your quarters and then to Lord Sesshomaru's study."

"Thank you. My name is Misa," said Misa, "But we will need to do something first." Misa led Ai outside. "We have a horse, and we don't know what to do with it."

"Oh," said Ai, "Please follow me."

The group followed the woman with blue hair around part of the house. When they came to a building, they stopped.

"This is the stables," said Ai. "If you ever want to visit your horse, please come here, and don't be afraid."

"Thank you," said Rin.

"Of course," said Ai. "Oh, you don't know who I am. My name's Ai."

"Nice to meet you," said Rin. "My name's Rin."

"And I'm Miki," said Miki softly.

"It's very nice to meet you," said Ai with a smile. "If you would be so kind, I would like you to follow me to the stables, so you can meet the keeper."

The group followed Ai into the stables. It was bigger than it looked from the outside. There were stales everywhere. There were horses of all colors. Ai led the group to an empty stale.

"You can put your horse in here," said Ai, stepping away from the entrance so Rin could put here horse in the stale.

"Hey," yelled a voice, "What are you doing?"

A demon with long brown hair came towards the group.

"Tomi," said Ai, "There's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, Ai," said Tomi, "I didn't recognize you." He walked over to Gin. "What do you have for me today?"

"It is their horse," said Ai looking over at the group.

"No," said Tomi looking from the horse to Rin. "She's her horse."

"How do you know that?" asked Rin.

"I'm a horse demon," said Tomi looking back towards Gin. "I know what they say, and I understand them. Gin seems to like you."

"Well, I like Gin too," said Rin.

"Come see her anytime," said Tomi, petting Gin and than turning around. He walked away from the group, and out a door.

"He is very good with horses," said Ai. "It's time for us to visit your quarters."

When they reached the front door again, they spotted Amarante, Ryu, and Natsu just reaching it.

"So, this wasn't your full group?" said Ai.

"Who are you," asked Amarante.

"My name is Ai," said Ai, for the third time, "I'm here to escort you to your quarters, and then to Lord Sesshomaru's study."

"Fine," said Amarante opening the door. Natsu and Ryu followed her into the hallway.

"That was Amarante, Ryu, and Natsu," said Misa as she came up beside Ai.

"I see," said Ai as she closed the door behind the group. She walked ahead of everyone and led them down hallway. She waited for a moment for Rin to catch up. She knew right away that she was human, and therefore the weakest. She also had the most luggage of anyone. She needed more since she was human. Ai continued down the hallway, turning left and right. She stopped suddenly at a green door.

"This is where you two sleep," said Ai, pointing at Ryu and Natsu. "Stay in your room and I'll get you on the way back."

Ai continued down the hall, stopping at a plain wood door where Amarante's room was, and a dark red one where Misa and Miki's room was. Ai continued walking, slower this time, since it was only Rin.

"I don't think Amarante will like her room,' said Ai absentmindedly.

"Why would you say that?" asked Rin.

"Because it is only big enough for one person to live there," said Ai, smiling.

"She likes to be pampered," said Rin.

"I figure that," said Ai stopping at a dark wood door.

"This is my room?" asked Rin. She opened the door and looked around. It was relatively nice. It had a window and had a chest to put things in. It also had a place to light a fire. It had a nice mat to sleep on, with a set of yellow blankets.

Rin put her stuff down right next the chest, and left the room.

She walked with Ai picking up the rest of the group on the way. They made their way down a different hallway and up a flight of stairs. Ai stopped in front of a set of two wooden doors. She knocked and waited.

"Come in," answered Lord Sesshomaru, through the door. Ai opened the door, and the group walked in.

Lord Sesshomaru was sitting behind his desk, looking over some documents. He didn't look up as the group stood in a line in front of his desk. He just started giving out orders one by one.

"Misa," said Sesshomaru still reading.

"Yes?" asked Misa, slightly nervous.

"You will be in charge of this group here. You, like the rest of your group, are advised to be up before dawn, unless advised, or the penalties will be severe. You are to make sure that they get their assignments and complete them quickly."

"Yes sire," said Misa standing more at attention.

"You will receive the assignments from Jaken. You are to meet him before dawn at the beginning of every week, with the exception of today. You are required to report to me at the end of each week," said Lord Sesshomaru.

"Yes sire," said Misa bowing.

"What are you still doing here?" asked Lord Sesshomaru glancing up, "Get going,"

"Yes, sire," said Misa with a start, quickly crossing to the door.

"Amarante," said Lord Sesshomaru, "You are in charge of inventory. You are to tell Jaken or Misa when the mansion is running low on anything, got that?"

Amarante just stood there. She was in shock that she would get such a lowly roll.

"Leave," said Lord Sesshomaru simply.

"Yes," said Amarante as she left.

"Ryu and Natsu," said Lord Sesshomaru, in the same voice. "You are responsible for the cleansing and sanitation of all eating apparatuses in the household."

"We're responsible for what?" asked Natsu after a second.

"You wash the dishes," said Lord Sesshomaru bluntly.

"Yes sire," said the two of them as they left the study.

"Miki," said Lord Sesshomaru, "You are responsible for the near-by village. If they need anything or have any problems, you are to fix them to the best of your ability. If you don't know how, ask Jaken or Misa."

"Yes sire," said Miki, bowing low, and leaving the study.

Rin was the only one left. She stood their quietly while Lord Sesshomaru continued with his documents. After what seemed like ages, he looked up.

"You're still here?" asked Sesshomaru apathetically.

"You haven't assigned me a position," said Rin, her head held strait.

"Didn't I already tell you?" asked Sesshomaru putting down the papers. "You are the care taker of the gardens. I expect good things from you."

"What am I supposed to do about seeds or tools?" asked Rin.

"Those will be provided for you," said Lord Sesshomaru with a slight smirk. "You are responsible for rehabilitating each garden in two days. They must be completely cleared of weeds, and the new plants and seeds must be planted. You must also take care of the plants that are actually growing in the garden. After all are growing again, you are to take care of all of them daily. You will have to administer what you see fit to the plants. You are also responsible for the cleanliness of the verandas, patios, and other such areas in and around the gardens. That is all."

Lord Sesshomaru started going back to his work. When he noticed that Rin wasn't moving, he looked up again.

"What is the problem?"

"Well sire," said Rin, with no fear detectable in her voice, "What am I supposed to do with the weeds?"

"What?" asked Sesshomaru, slightly confused.

"The weeds sire," said Rin again. "When I've dug them up, what am I supposed to do with them? And also, the tools and seeds. What am I supposed to do with the tools when I am done, and where am I supposed to get them when I need them. And if I need more seeds? Where is all this going to be located? Also, where am I supposed to start?"

"All of the equipment that you will need will be lain out for you," said Lord Sesshomaru, regaining his composure. "When you are finished, you will return it to the shed near the stables. The weeds will go on a pile outside the pastures that the village people use on their crops. The seeds you will use will also be lain out for you. If you want to add more, that is up to you. You will only use the seeds of the flowers that are lain out for you, no exception. The same goes for the plants. You will be notified where you will begin your work tomorrow morning. Be up at dawn. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes my lord," said Rin as she bowed and left the room.

'That one is going to be trouble,' thought Lord Sesshomaru.

* * *

Rin left the room and headed toward her room. She made it down the hallway into the hall. She looked around her and looked at the hallways in front of her. She didn't remember which way she was supposed to go. She looked around.

"Hmmm…," said Rin aloud. "That painting looks familiar, so I have to go down that one."

She walked down the hallway and looked for a dark wood door. She was having a great deal of trouble with this because all of the doors looked dark. She opened a door that looked like a dark wood door and found herself in a storage closet. She, luckily, found a candle and lit it on a near by torch.

"Ah," said Rin, "Light."

She left the room and continued walking down the hallway, looking at doors and taking every turn there was. Every time she came to a dead end, she turned around, and went back. She went down so many twists and turns that she got lost. She couldn't remember where she had to go. All she knew was that she was in the wrong hallway, so it was safe not to open anymore doors. She knew this from a previous door that growled when she wanted to touch the handle, and another handle bite her when she touched it so she had to wrap up her hand to stop the bleeding. She sighed as she prepared for a night full of walking.

* * *

Lord Sesshomaru left his office a few hours after he had finished talking to all of his new servants. He was finally going to bed. Even though he didn't show it, he was tired. He walked across the hall and into one of the hallways. His was the one with a painting next to it. He continued walking when he smelt a scent that shouldn't have been down there. It was Rin. She must have gotten lost after he had dismissed her. He followed the scent all over the place. She must have been walking for a long time. He scent began to mingle, making it hard to tell where it was coming from.

"Damn woman," said Lord Sesshomaru under his breath. "If she would have staid still, I would have been able to find her."

A different scent caught his attention. It was a familiar metallic smell. It was the smell of her blood. He wondered why she was bleeding. He followed the scent down one hallway and then another. She was deep inside his hallway. She was getting closer and closer to his private corridors.

He was beginning to wonder how long she had been bleeding when he spotted a figure sitting on the floor with a candle in their hands. He took a closer look and figured out that it was Rin. She had found a candle and was taking a rest. She looked beat. She had been walking around all night. She was slowly nodding her head. She was beginning to fall asleep.

Sesshomaru stepped into the hallway and looked down at Rin. She suddenly spotted him and jumped, the candle falling from her hand. Sesshomaru caught the candle, and looked down at the surprised Rin. She gave a quite sigh, when she realized who he was. She stood up next to him. She didn't even get past his shoulder.

"You shouldn't be down here," said Sesshomaru.

"I know," said Rin quietly. "I got lost,"

"I can see that," said Sesshomaru, still looking down at her.

She was looking down at her feet, ashamed that she had to be rescued by him. She looked so innocent and cute. Sesshomaru scanned over her, taking in the curves that he managed to capture in the bulky traveling clothes. Sesshomaru didn't like the fact that she didn't wear what the other women wore while they were traveling.

"Let me show you how to get to your room," said Sesshomaru walking in front of Rin.

He was walking at his normal speed, when he noticed that Rin's footsteps where becoming slower and slower. He looked back and discovered that Rin was far behind him. He was walking fast and she was tired.

Sesshomaru went back and looked down at Rin. She looked up and stared him right in the eye. She wasn't going to make this easy. She was going to fight him, no matter what he did. She had this defiant streak about her.

Sesshomaru smirked as he blew out the candle and gave it to Rin. Rin looked down at the candle confused. While her attention was elsewhere, Sesshomaru bent down and scooped Rin into his arms.

"What are you doing?" asked Rin breathlessly, not expecting to be picked up.

"Don't you mean, what are you doing my lord?" teased Sesshomaru.

"What do you mean my lord?" asked Rin, her face flushing from embarrassment.

Lord Sesshomaru smirked. He knew that she was embarrassed without even looking down. He could hear the blood rushing to her cheeks. He just kept walking.

Rin just sat there, her arms around his neck to steady herself. She was confused, which made her scared. She was confused because her body was feeling… excited. She didn't know why, but being near this man made her excited. His hand moved on her back, and her breath seemed to be taken from her. Wherever he touched her, electricity seemed to spring from his touches, making Rin feel alive. She had to fight to breath normally, to keep her heart normal. 'Why is this man affecting me so?' Rin asked herself.

Sesshomaru could hear her breathing become eradicate. Her arms had tightened around his neck when he moved his hand to steady her more. Her heartbeat had skyrocketed for a moment, but she was fighting to steady it. Her body was betraying her.

A scent caught his attention. It was Rin's, but different. It was more spicy than sweet. Sesshomaru tried to calm himself. Rin was aroused, and it smelled ravishing. Sesshomaru didn't falter in his breathing or his heart. He just continued walking, practicing his self-restraint. He had to get her to her room, now.

Rin became aware of Lord Sesshomaru's steps becoming faster and farther apart. He was rushing. She looked around her. They were coming to the main hall. They broke the darkness of the hallway, and Lord Sesshomaru slowed down. He walked over to a hallway that had a blue vase in front of it.

"Your room is down this hall," said Sesshomaru, glancing looking down, seeing the feelings in her eyes. "Remember this."

He continued on his quicken pace down the hallway, pointing out things that would help Rin figure this out on her own. He made it to her room. 'The one with the dark doors,' thought Sesshomaru to himself. A sudden disgust came to his mind. Not for Rin, but for himself. He was thinking about this woman like he should a potential mate. He put Rin on her feet, a little more roughly than he should have. He turned around and walked away, leaving Rin confused in the hallway.

'You can't do this,' said a voice in his head. 'This is what happened to your father. He saw her, and helped her, and the weakness took hold of him. You are not immune to the weakness any more than he was.'

Rin stood there in the hallway, dazed and confused. She didn't know if she wanted to yell or cry. There was a sudden hurt in her heart. She opened her door and closed it quietly. She got ready for bed and laid down in her bed, the covers up to her chin, even though it was a cool night. A single tear ran down her cheek. Rin wiped the tear away and feel into a restless sleep.

Sesshomaru had stopped when he was out of sight of Rin's room. He heard her go inside and get ready for bed. When she pulled on her covers, he decided she was okay, and was about to leave. A salty smell stopped him. She was crying. Sesshomaru was about to turn back, when he decided that it wasn't best. He walked away slowly, his mind on Rin.

To be continued…


	7. Silent Morning, Caressing Moon

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but if I cover the world in cheese… 

AN: **Bold faced**, underlined, **bold and underlined**, ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.

**AN: It's been a long time since I last updated and that's mainly because I have had a lot of practice for a play I was in and we had a lot of school to do… but now, since it's out, I'll try to get a chapter up a lot more often.**

Chapter 7: Silent Morning, Caressing Moon

Rin woke to a silent morning. It was so early that the birds weren't even up yet. She groaned and rolled over.

'No, you have to get up and work on the gardens,' thought Rin to herself.

Rin got out of bed and looked out the window. She could see the sun as a line on the horizon.

'At least I'll be early,' thought Rin with a smile, 'No one ever got in trouble for being early.'

Rin quickly changed into a kimono that she had had from home. It was very worn, very old, and very perfect for working in the dirt. She put the dark blue kimono that Misa had given her neatly in her chest. She wouldn't wear it every day; it was too nice for that. Rin quickly checked the position of the sun. It was still a sliver in the sky. She left her room, and headed to the main hallway, hoping someone would be there to tell her where she had to go.

Rin had no problems finding the main hallway because it was filled with noise. She entered to find Jaken screaming Amarante who was screaming back.

"He didn't say when I had to be up!" screamed Amarante into the face of the little green toad.

"All servants are to up at dawn unless told differently!" screamed Jaken back into the pale face, distorted by anger.

"The sun is barely even up!" screamed Amarante thinking she had gotten the upper hand.

"But the sun is up, meaning the sun has risen," said a stern voice from down hallway with that painting that had lured Rin down it just hours before.

Everyone was silent. The master of the house had spoken. His work was law.

Sesshomaru looked down at Amarante who had even more red on her face now than when she had been yelling at Jaken.

"It is early in the morning, so be quiet," said Sesshomaru with a glint in his eye that said, 'Say another word and I'll kill you."

Amarante was having a hard time swallowing. Her throat was so dry. She was terrified of this handsome man who was silently threatening to kill her.

She bowed low and quickly went to where Jaken had told her to go before she had said anything about wanting to eat.

Sesshomaru looked around him and saw the other servants who were still standing around.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Sesshomaru in a voice that was barely laced with aggravation. "Get going."

As though it was the beginning of a race, the rest of the group shot off in all directions to their assigned places. All of them went, except Rin.

Sesshomaru looked at Rin. When their eyes caught, she looked down quickly and blushed. Sesshomaru smirked at what he saw. She was in a very bad kimono. It was too short, holey, and so faded that you could barely make out the colors.

"What are you still doing here Rin?" asked Sesshomaru in a voice sterner than what he wanted.

Rin jumped and looked up into the amber eyes. She quickly looked away.

"You told me that I was to be notified about where I was supposed to work," said Rin meekly.

Sesshomaru was slightly taken aback by what he heard in her voice. She wasn't frightened by Sesshomaru, but embarrassed.

"Where is she supposed to start?" asked Sesshomaru turning to the surprised toad.

"Um… I… well…" stammered Jaken, who unlike Rin was afraid of Sesshomaru when he was angry. But the anger wasn't what truly scared him. It was the way that he was talking to Rin. So personal and… nicer than usual.

"Spit it out toad," said Sesshomaru in his normal voice again.

"Well," said Jaken, "I think she is to start in the library garden.

"Show her how to get there," said Sesshomaru going down the hallway to get to his office.

"Wait," said Rin.

"What?" asked Sesshomaru, his eyebrow arching.

"I just want him to tell me how to get there, and then I want to go to the stables."

"Why would you want to go there?" asked Sesshomaru becoming curious of this girl.

"I want to get my horse Gin and maybe a cart so I can get things put away faster when I need to," said Rin quietly.

"Fine," said Sesshomaru once again turning to Jaken. "Go with her, and when she is done in the stables, show her where to go."

"But… but…" stammered Jaken.

"Jaken," said Sesshomaru warningly.

"Yes sire," said Jaken bowing.

When Sesshomaru had left, Jaken just glared at Rin who just looked back.

'This girl is going to be a problem,' thought Jaken. 'She seems to make Lord Sesshomaru act… nicer.' Jaken shook his head. No one could make Lord Sesshomaru nicer.

"Come on," said Jaken as he headed to the door. He opened the massive doors and led Rin to the stables.

When they reached the stables, Jaken was about to go inside, when the doors were suddenly opened. Staring down at Jaken was Tomi.

"Get out of my way Tomi," said Jaken with a slight shake in his voice.

"You know I won't do that Jaken," said Tomi who was glaring at Jaken.

"She has to get her horse and a cart," said Jaken pointing at Rin.

"She can come in, but you can't," said Tomi nodding at Rin.

Rin took that as an invite and quickly slipped into the stables while Tomi was telling Jaken to stay here until she got back. Rin quickly made her way to Gin who seemed to be in good spirits.

"How are you doing Gin?" asked Rin more to herself than Gin as she stroked her neck.

"She's fine," said Tomi in a quite different voice. He wasn't yelling at Jaken anymore, so he seemed like a different person. "So what's this I hear about you needing a cart?"

"I have to work in the gardens for a long time, so I will need to haul things here and there and it would be ridiculous if I did it all by hand, so I thought…" said Rin.

"You thought of the idea of using a cart?" asked Tomi as he got Gin ready to pull a cart.

"Yeah, something like that," said Rin helping him.

She continued to stroke Gin to steady her as he attached her to the cart.

"Alright," said Tomi after seeing that everything was the way it should be, "is there anything else?"

"Yes," said Rin after a moment. "Do you think I could use this everyday for awhile?"

"That might put a strain on Gin," said Tomi looking at Gin. "She has had a long journey, and she really isn't ready to be doing this everyday, so after today, you will use that brown mare in the corner." With that he pointed at a docile horse near the corner of the stable. "Her name is Rini."

"Whose horse is that?" asked Rin.

"Oh, that's Lord Sesshomaru's horse," said Tomi in a normal tone.

"What!" asked Rin shocked. "I can't use one of his horses."

"All of these horses are his, except for Gin, and he lets us use them when we need to," said Tomi looking around him.

"Why does he let you do that?" asked Rin.

"Because he is smart enough to know that he can't exercise them all and he really never uses his horses anyway. He can run faster than any of them," said Tomi with a chuckle.

"So you can use any of them?" asked Rin looking around her at all the horses.

"No," said Tomi becoming serious again. "We can't use those two." He pointed at a pair of horses, one black and one white.

"Why not?" asked Rin peering at the pair. They were beautifully matched. The stallion was pitch black and he seemed edgy. He continued to walk around the stall he was in. Next to him was a completely docile white mare. She was just standing there looking out.

"They are meant for the Lord and his Lady. If the Lord and Lady have offspring, then they two horses are mated to produce suitable mounts for the children."

"Won't the horses die before the Lord and Lady die?" asked Rin.

"No," said Tomi chuckling again. "The horses are given a special concoction of special herbs and blood when they're born. The horses will live as long as the Lord, Lady, and their children live. When a new member of both families' is born, because of the concoction given to the foal parent's, the foal will become attached to the child that is meant to ride it. If the Lord never chooses a Lady, then both horses will die when he dies."

"Wow," said Rin quietly, "That's seems very formal."

"Yes," said Tomi, "Those horses a symbolist of the house. They will only allow their matches or one of direct blood descendent to even ride them."

"What are their names?" asked Rin, still in awe of the horses, and completely missing the last statement.

"His name is Samuru and her name is Yuki," said Tomi.

Rin just began to laugh. "What's so funny Rin?" asked Tomi looking down at her.

"I think it's very fitting for the black one which is Sesshomaru's match to have a name meaning 'He whose name is God'."

At that Tomi began to laugh to. "Yes, that does seem fitting."

"Are you two done yet?" asked a high pitched voice.

"I guess that's the signal for me to go," said Rin.

"Come back tomorrow for Rini. I'll have her hooked up and everything for you."

"Thank you Tomi," said Rin leading Gin out.

"Finally," said Jaken as she closed the door. "Let's go."

Jaken led Rin to the garden she had to work on today. Rin just stood there in disgust. The garden had been overrun with weeds. There were seeds and plants near the house in the shade, but it seemed like it would just take a week to get the weeds out, and she only had two days.

"Did you hear what I said?" asked Jaken angrily. A sudden smack in the leg got her attention and before she could turn around Jaken was gone.

'Stupid toad,' thought Rin was she looked around her. There were mostly flower beds, and a small pond in the middle of the garden. She went to the edge, just to make sure that this was all she had to do that day. Near the edge was a waist high wall, and it went all the way around, with no entrances. Over the edge were wild flowers and a stream. It seemed entirely natural so Rin knew she didn't have to do anything with it. She looked back and realized that this was going to take a long time.

* * *

Rin started by pulling out all the weeds. Some of the weeds didn't want to go though. Some even tried to bite her. She had to beat them down with a knife she kept with her. 

When she finally had removed all the weeds, it was past noon. She had been working for over 6 hours and all she did was get rid of a bunch of weeds. She decided that it was time to get rid of all weeds. She loaded up the cart and lead Gin towards the village. When she got there, she couldn't even begin to know where the pasture that Lord Sesshomaru was talking about was. She noticed a man working in the field, so she went over to him to ask directions.

"Excuse me?" asked Rin quietly.

"What can I do for you?" asked the man looking up from his work.

"Do you think you could tell me where the fertilizer pile is?" asked Rin.

The man just looked at her funny. "I'm new in the village, and I don't know where it is?"

The man got up and stretched. "Since you're new, I'll tell you, but don't be asking too many questions. Most people don't like that. If you follow this path you'll get there in almost thirty minutes."

"Thank you… er…,"

"Yukio, my name is Yukio."

"It's nice to meet you Yukio," said Rin with a smile. "My name's Rin."

"The pleasure is all mine," said Yukio smiling back.

"Well, I better get going," said Rin starting to lead Gin towards the way that Yukio had described. "Thank you for your help."

Rin didn't see the way he followed her with his eyes.

Rin made it back to the garden with only an hour passing by. She looked down at the plants around her. Among the many plants were beautiful purple Iris, beautiful pink Camellia, green Hostas, blue Hydrangea, and many more. By sundown she had them all planted and she was filthy. It was about that time when she noticed that she was starving. She looked around and spotted and old woman with some food.

"I was wondering when you'd notice me," said the old woman with a grin.

"Who are you?" asked Rin.

"My name is Maro, and I am the only other human servant left in Our Lord's home."

"Why are you the only one left?" asked Rin, taking the food the old woman had handed her and sat down.

"I wasn't killed by the disease that spread through the entire castle just a few weeks ago, and I was a servant of his father."

"His fathers?" asked Rin.

"Yes," she said as she glanced up to the balcony above the library where a pair of amber eyes meet hers through the open doors telling her to be careful.

"I must be going," said Maro looking back at Rin.

"Alright," said Rin, "I have to finish the pond.

Rin glanced back at the pond and walked over to it. The pond was consumed by algae and dead fish. She found a broken stick and skimmed all the green sludge off the top of the pond. After depositing the slime in the wagon, she took that stick and flipped the dead fish out of the pond. When she was wondering about what to do with the dead fish, a huge bird swooped down and grabbed all the fish and left. Rin shook her head and grabbed the stick again to judge the depth of the pond. She pulled up the stick revealing a large amount of sea weed. She sighed to herself as she got ready for a few more hours of horrible stench.

* * *

After finally putting all the tools away, Rin made her way up the steps to the manner. It took her past sunset to finish the pond and she made her way up the stairs slowly. She was dripping with water and filth. She just hoped that there was a bath in the house somewhere. 

As she got to the door, she realized that she wasn't strong enough to open it. She tried, but it didn't even budge. She sighed and put her head on the door. A sudden movement made her aware that the door was moving. She quickly went inside and the door closed. She didn't even worry about it. The next thing she could remember was being sternly looked at by Jaken.

"Where have you been?" asked Jaken in his high pitched tone.

"I have been working in the garden, and now I need a bath and maybe some food," said Rin quietly.

"Well you should have thought of that before you came in so late," said Jaken in a voice that made Rin cringe.

"Go away you stupid toad," said Rin so quietly that it was barely audible to the stupid toad only a few feet away.

"You little bit…" started Jaken when a hand sent him flying across the room.

Rin looked up to see Lord Sesshomaru standing in front of her.

Sesshomaru looked down at the dirty Rin. Her stench was so bad that he didn't want to breathe. The only thing that could be said was that she must have cleaned the pond. She was a fast worker, but a very dirty one.

"My lord?" asked Rin quietly.

"Yes?" asked Sesshomaru in a stern voice.

"Do you know where the bath is in the house?' asked Rin swaying slightly.

Sesshomaru wasn't going to answer that. That was just a stupid question, but when he noticed that she was barely conscious, he just sighed. He looked down at that angelic face that seemed to just want to go to sleep.

"That's the way your father looked at Izayoi," said an old voice.

Sesshomaru looked up to see Maro standing there.

"What would you know about it?" asked Sesshomaru in his normal testy voice.

"Nothing, nothing," said Maro. "Would you like me to take her to the bath?"

"Yes," said Lord Sesshomaru. "And get her some kimono's that are good for work, but look decent also."

"Yes my lord," said Maro with a bow as she moved forward to gather Rin and take her to the bath.

Lord Sesshomaru just watched the two of them travel towards the bath. He was almost tempted to follow them just to see her naked again, but a thought passed through his mind. With that, he just turned around and went back to the library, to watch the moon caress the new plants in their first night.

To be continued…

AN: Yes, finally I'm done. Tell me what you think, cause I don't' know when I'll be starting it again. There is a wall in front of my computer and all I have is a spoon, and my spoon is being dented. Any ideas out there would be a blessing in disguise


	8. Midnight Dip

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but if I cover the world in cheese…

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: DON'T KILL ME! It's the book. I just finished it. All 1243 pages of the long demonic book. I also just finished the book, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I think I should tell you, I'm going away for a week. I'll keep writing when I can, but it's going to be hard, because, I don't like to write anything out. Oh, well, I guess you should enjoy the chapter now. I'll update as soon as I can.**

Chapter 8: Midnight Dip

Work went on like clockwork. She got up, and went to work. She'd go to the stables in the morning and get the cart. She followed what Tomi had said, and instead of using Gin all the time, she used Rini for the majority. She worked all day, stopping to eat the lunch that Maro would bring her, and also to help Miki out. She had become a more regular visitor to the gardens. Miki usually asked questions that pertained to the village, but as more and more time went by, her questions shifted towards families, children, and pregnancy. Rin reminded Miki that _she_ had never been pregnant, and therefore wasn't an expert on the subject, but besides that small detail, Miki wasn't swayed from asking Rin.

"Do you ever wonder what someone else is doing?" asked Miki as Rin weeded a particulary nasty part of the rose bed.

"Don't you think our Lord may get upset with you knowing the fact that you're here and not there, at the village?" asked Rin trying to avoid some of her more personal questions.

"What do you think Lord Sesshomaru would do if he found out I was pregnant?" asked Miki looking towards a window behind Rin, appearing to be looking for someone.

"That depends," said Rin noticing her odd behavior. She stopped pretending to work and looked over at her preoccupied friend.

"Depends?" asked Miki, her attention being drawn back to Rin, but just as quickly back to the window.

"Is it his child?" asked Rin in a quieter voice. She suddenly had a pain in her heart. 'Why would it matter to me if Lord Sesshomaru was having a child with Miki?" Rin asked herself.

"Is it whose child?" asked Miki, apparently lost in looking for the person she hoped to see in the window.

"Lord Sesshomaru's?" asked Rin.

"What! No!" said Miki quickly. "I would never do _that_. How could you think such a thing?"

"I'm not the one who was asking, 'What will Lord Sesshomaru do if he find out I'm pregnant?' You were," said Rin, the pain being lifted from her heart and quickly forgotten.

"I never said I was pregnant," shot back Miki.

Rin gave her the look that said 'If you weren't, you wouldn't be wasting my time with those kinds of questions.'

"Okay," she sighed, I am pregnant, but it's not _his, _Lord Sesshomaru I mean."

"Then why would he care?" asked Rin finding this a good time to go back to work. The weeds she was fighting with were trying to eat her knife. 'Stupid demon weeds!'

"Well…" started Miki.

"Well?" asked Rin, throwing a bunch of the killer weeds into the cart with skill.

"It's someone else's child whom he knows," said Miki blushing an extreme shade of red.

"Who…?" started Rin but saw she lost Miki when a man walked past the window. He had dark hair and clear blue eyes. Rin looked over at Miki whose face was even redder than the roses she was trying to rescue from weeds.

"I didn't know Lord Sesshomaru had a visitor," said Rin getting back to her work. "Who is he anyway?"

"You mean you don't recognize him?" asked Miki in disbelief. "We have only been here for two months and you don't remember him from the other mansion?"

"You do realize that I was there for a grand total of a day?" asked Rin.

"It's Lord Hiroshi!" said Miki like it was the most important thing in the world that ever graced anyone's lips.

"Oh!" said Rin, "He's your baby's father?"

"How did you know?" asked Miki looking around quickly, in case someone was around.

"You wouldn't have acted like that about his name if he wasn't," laughed Rin.

"Yeah, I guess," said Miki blushing. She looked at the position of the sun. It was almost four o'clock be the sun. "I better get going. The people will begin to wonder why I'm so late." She got up and left. What Miki didn't notice was that Lord Hiroshi was watching her leave from Lord Sesshomaru's office through the window that faced the garden.

* * *

"Are you sure?" asked Lord Hiroshi.

Lord Sesshomaru just continued with his work. It was the third time he had asked him the same question.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Lord Hiroshi.

"I know you have a decent nose," said Lord Sesshomaru still working. "Smell the difference in her yourself. You would know the best."

"But are you sure?" asked Lord Hiroshi. "Are you sure she's pregnant?"

Lord Sesshomaru now seriously doubted Lord Hiroshi's intelligence. "Do you truly believe I would have called you if I wasn't sure?"

"I suppose not," said Lord Hiroshi looking out the window again.

"Do you know how attached she is to _that_ human down there?" asked Lord Hiroshi after a while.

Lord Sesshomaru tensed slightly at how Lord Hiroshi had mentioned Rin. 'But why do you care?' he asked himself. 'Because she's better than being refereed to as '_that_ human'.'

"I guess they're close," said Lord Sesshomaru looking out the window from his desk. He could see Rin loading up the cart full of weeds and heading towards the village. "Miki seems to be there everyday."

"If I took her from here, Miki that is," said Lord Hiroshi, "Do you think she'll resent me for it?"

Lord Sesshomaru gave him a look that clearly said, 'Do I care?'

But Lord Hiroshi didn't even notice. He kept pacing near the window.

"Take her," said Lord Sesshomaru. Lord Hiroshi looked up. "I don't need children around here."

"Do you think I could bring her to visit?" asked Lord Hiroshi.

Lord Sesshomaru didn't answer; he just went back to his word.

* * *

"Its fine," said Yukio who was walking besides Rin.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" asked Rin as the two of them made their way to the pastures.

"Everyone could use a break," said Yukio as he ran hi hand through his bangs, "and everyone could use a friend to talk to."

"That's true," said Rin not noticing how nervous Yukio was.

"Rin...?"

"Yes?" asked Rin looking over at Yukio making him blush.

"There is… umm…"

"Yes?"

"There's… going to be a… Star Festival in town next week. We go to the hills behind the village and watch the stars with friends and family and enjoy each other's company. Before hand there is a kind of party in town with food and music and dancing. Would you like to go?" asked Yukio.

"…as a friend?" asked Rin.

"As _more_ than a friend," said Yukio.

"Ummm…," said Rin nervously.

"If you don't want to go with me, it's okay," said Yukio looking down.

"Its not that," said Rin, "I just need some time to think. Ask me again tomorrow."

"Alright," said Yukio as they made it to the mulch pile and unloaded the card.

"Thank you," said Rin.

"No problem," said Yukio as he watched Rin ride off towards home.

* * *

"You wanted to see us?" asked Misa as she glanced over at Miki in Lord Sesshomaru's office. Along with herself, both Amarante and Ai were standing in front of Lord Sesshomaru's desk.

"Yes," said Lord Sesshomaru who was also glancing at Miki. She was standing with Lord Hiroshi who were behaving a little too brazen for his liking.

"I would like to inform you Misa that Miki is leaving this house to become the Lady of Lord Hiroshi's home."

"WHAT!" exclaimed Amarante.

"Silence Amarante," said Lord Sesshomaru, "I wasn't addressing you."

"Ai," said Lord Sesshomaru looking over at the blue haired girl. "You will be taking Miki's job at the village."

"Yes, sire," said Ai bowing.

"You Amarante," said Lord Sesshomaru glaring at the white haired pain. "Will be taking Ai's job, including the night greeter."

"Yes," said Amarante grumbling.

He just looked at her.

"Yes _sire_," sighed Amarante.

"You may go," said Lord Sesshomaru as he got back to his work.

When the three of them were alone again, Lord Hiroshi came up to Lord Sesshomaru.

"Thank you Sesshomaru," said Lord Hiroshi, "We'll be leaving shortly."

Lord Sesshomaru nodded his head and the two lovers left for their new life together.

* * *

The rest of the work in the garden took till long past dark. She put Rini away and trudged to the entrance.

"Can I do it today?" Rin asked herself. She pushed on the door with all her strength. It didn't budge.

"Ai," yelled Rin as she knocked on the door. "It's me Rin."

The door began to move just a little until there was just enough for a face. It wasn't the face that had become her friend, but the pale face of Amarante.

"Amarante," said Rin, her voice becoming strained, "Let me in."

"I don't know any 'Rin'," said Amarante closing the door quickly before Rin could even attempt to get in.

"Amarante, open this door!" exclaimed Rin, banging on the heavy door.

After awhile, she finally gave up. It was useless to try to do the impossible. She'd just have to spend a night outside. The only problem was she couldn't get a bath. Her mind wandered to the river that they passed as a group. The howling of a wolf quickly dashed any ideas she even might have had about going there. The only weapon she had was her tiny dagger strapped to her leg, and that couldn't defend against a hungry wolf, let alone an entire pack. The only other piece of water was the small pond in the library garden. There were no fish in it to contaminate and she found out after she cleaned out all of the scum, the water seemed to bubble up and flowed into a channel. Through the channel it went over the ledge and back into the pool that seeped into the pond. It was a continual cycle. She had a cloak she could dry herself with and also what she could cover herself with during the night. The only thing missing was soap. She found two rocks she could use to ground plants with and then she started to work. She grabbed some leaves off of some plants, blossoms off of others, and roots off of others. Through mixing grinding and a little water, Rin made instant soap that smelled of the night flowers. Rin stripped off her kimono and stepped into the chilly waist deep water. She put the glob of soap down near the edge and started on the difficult task of cleaning the dirt off her body. Almost as soon as she started, she stopped. She picked up her kimono and looked at it. There was mud and dirt everywhere. She decided to clean her clothes as well. 'It's… a mild night,' thought Rin, 'It might feel good.'

* * *

He couldn't remember. For all he'd read and seen, he couldn't remember. He never forgot anything. But since _she_ came here, he had nothing but trouble. Eh had trouble concentrating, controlling his emotions, and now remembering.

'What am I going to do?" sighed Lord Sesshomaru as he walked into the library. He didn't need a lantern, he could see well enough in the dark. As he reached for the scroll that would give him is answer, a sound reached his ears. It was the sound of someone humming. He looked out a window and saw her.

"Why hadn't I smelt her before?' thought Lord Sesshomaru.

He looked back at her. She was washing herself in the pond.

'Why isn't she in t he house doing this?' thought Lord Sesshomaru.

Then a thought came to mind. Amarante. She was the reason she wasn't inside, washing herself _away_ from any common demon who wished to gaze upon that silky skin. Her dark hair hung around her body in wet, heavy sheets. He watched as she washed her arms and shoulder, both becoming covered in soap. Her hands moved over her breasts, stomach and finally her neck. He watched as she put her hands up and started washing her hair. It left her breasts in clear view. He watched as foam and water dripped from them and dripped into the water creating small ripples. She suddenly dunked herself in the water and move to a step near the edge where it was shallower. She lifted first one leg and then the other, washing both in due time. He noticed her legs weren't like those of other female servants around the house. HE was a male and the Lord, so he had seen his fair share of legs, and other body parts. He noticed how her thighs and calves weren't as long and slender as he had originally thought, but rounder and more muscular. He could tell she had powerful legs. She stood up suddenly and a shower of water cascaded off her now clean body. She stepped out of the pond and walked over to a tree. He hadn't noticed, but she had clothes handing from the tree's branches. She turned around and walked towards the doors and her cloak, giving him an excellent view of her body. As she knelt down and wrapped it around her crouched body, he quickly unlocked the doors and opened them.

"Rin…"

* * *

Rin looked up into the amber eyes of Lord Sesshomaru forgetting her current state, she stood up without the cloak. it wasn't until after she saw him gazing up her entire body did she quickly grab it to cover herself.

"Rin," said Lord Sesshomaru, "Come inside."

She was about to turn around to get her clothes when he stopped her.

"Forget the wet clothes, come inside."

She turned around and walked inside.

"Why weren't you inside?" asked Lord Sesshomaru.

"I… I couldn't get in, My Lord," said Rin slightly nervous. "Amarante wouldn't let me in."

"I see."

The time slowly ticked by. Both of them were staring at each other.

"My Lord?" asked Rin, slightly flushed.

"Yes?"

"May I go to bed now?"

"Yes,"

"Thank you My Lord," said Rin bowing low and unintentionally showing off the mounds of her breasts. As she walked out of the library, Lord Sesshomaru smirked as he caught one last peek at her legs.

To be continued…

**AN: I think that this chapter had a lot of things happen. Oh well, tell me what you think. Press the buttons and review.**


	9. HELP!

Hey everyone. I'm putting my stories on temporary hiatus. I've had a pretty bad breakup with someone I found I cared a lot about, and it's hitting me hard. I've also had a recent death that doesn't seem too deep on the outside, but I feel greatly for it. I will try to get this over with as soon as I can, but since I have school now, and that sucks in itself, it might take awhile.

Concerning my stories:

Diamond in the Rough

I'm having problems figuring out where I want this. If you wanna see this go anywhere, SAY SOMETHING! I'm good about what I put in or don't put in. If I don't think it'll follow what little I do see, I'm sorry, I won't put it in. It's like this story is a brick wall and I'm hitting it with a spoon… my spoon is dented.

Feelings of Family:

I'm working too hard on it. I'm having some serious problems with classes and schedules and all this crap… I actually looked at it recently and found I put them in the wrong day… ARG! It makes me upset. Help!

Another thing… I'm having problems seeing where this one is supposed to go too. I guess I'm having a problem thinking these stories out all the way… because this seems to be a pattern with all these things.

So, just so you get this straight… the sooner I get over this and finish my Feelings of Family chapter, the sooner I get the Diamond in the Rough chapter up. I figure that everyone likes the Diamond in the Rough one better. I think it's because it's set back in the day, not present day. But I find the present day ones are the best, but that's me.

Back to the point… since I'm asking for help, the sooner I get help the sooner I get this all done. Oh, and I'd advise reading what other people have advised. If I get the same advice, well… it doesn't make things go faster, no offence. SO HELP!

Thank you!

Your loving author!

Ashley


	10. Bridge Between Black and White

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, and I'm too tired to think of a reason why.

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and otherletters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.

**AN: It says 10 on Microsoft Word. Does that make up for the month of nothing? I'll try to keep it up, but it seems problems love me. Friend problems, Homework problems, College problems. So many problems they all deserve capital letters. I worked hard at this one. I think I need to learn how to plan these chapters. Lol! I don't think I'm the big planning type of person. I started writing this on a whim, because people told me that I should write one and now I am. Oh, before I forget and then post this… THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR HELPING ME OUT. LiliumKitty, LadyLuck22, Big City, simplyelena, Rebecca who is anonymous (I can't believe I spelt that right!) And to those who gave they're condolences for my relationship problems, if that is even possible, thank you too. I need it all. I also decided to put up a mailing list for those who aren't members of this site, fan fiction . net. It might be a little premature to be doing anything like this, but I find it is courteous. But, if you are anonymous and DON'T wanna be on it, just tell me or don't leave your e-mail address. If you don't leave it, I won't be able to reply to you're review, but whatever. Ok, I'm going insane. It's technically tomorrow. So, I'll just post this now and shut up.**

Chapter 9: Bridge Between Black and White

Legends tell of two stars that fell in love, or so the story is told. The stars are Shokujo and Kengyu meaning the Weaver Princess Star and the Herd boy Star. The story tells how the two lovers meet on the banks of the Amanogawa, or Milky Way, for an annual meeting. The legend is that the celestial princess Veda, a most skillful weaver, while engaged in weaving cloth for the king's garments, fell in love with a handsome lad, a cow herder. As a reward for the princess's diligent industry, her father, the king, allowed them to marry. But, so much in love were the two, they both began to neglect their work. The princess gradually neglected her weaving and the herder allowed his cows to stray. Exasperated, the king finally separated the couple, forcing them to remain on opposite sides of the Amanogawa, and permitting them to approach each other only once a year. But, there is no bridge over the Amanogawa and the princess, on her first visit, wept so bitterly at the impossibility of meeting her husband that she roused the sympathy of a Kasasgi, or a magpie. So moved by her tears, the magpie assured her that a bridge would be contrived for her. And so it was so, the magpies formed a bridge for the princess to cross using their wings to form the celestial bridge. It is said that if it is rainy on the day of meeting, the magpies can not make a bridge, and the two celestial lovers must endure another year apart.

A common feature of this festival is the display of bamboo branches decorated with long narrow strips of colored paper and other small ornaments and talismans. The paper strips are inscribed with poems expressing the wish for fulfillment of romantic aspirations; Young girls firmly believe that when they observe the festival earnestly, they would gain skill in weaving and sewing. The decorated bamboo branch is tied to a pole and placed in front of the house. At the end of the festivals, the bamboo branches are thrown into a river to be carried away, thereby dispelling misfortune, or are placed in rice paddies as a means of repelling insects or as a thanksgiving offering for what is hoped will be a bounteous harvest.

(AN: This is the true legend of the Star Festival (Hoshi-Matsuri) or Tanabata (Weaving-loom) Matsuri that occurs on the eve of July 7th. In this story, on the other hand, this is going to happen on a night in August that will also include watching the stars on the particular night with someone you care about. Women who are married will be the ones who will throw the bamboo branches into the river, giving Veda their prays and support. It will also be a tale, that by throwing a feather into the river after watching the stars with the one you care about, you will fall in love and marry the person. I know I could have just put that as part of the story, but I changed my mind, knowing that if I didn't mention that I was going to warp the tradition in some way, someone who knows the tradition would say, "You just screwed with a Japanese tradition!" I don't want that to happen, so I'm telling you what I'm going to do. Plus, if I made this the entire Author's Note, no one would read it. Who really reads the author's note anyway?)

* * *

She had to put it on. Rin looked down at the kimono that Misa gave to her. She was going to the star festival with Yukio and she had to wear this. The only problem was her stomach was telling her something. Most people would say that it would be some kind of feelings for Yukio, but Rin would say, it was more of a guilty feeling. She was guilty because she had no feelings for Yukio.

Rin put on the kimono and put her hair up with a few combs. She put on a pair of geta sandals. Though not like the extremely formal and extremely uncomfortable geta sandals that the geisha wear, Rin wore a pair that were much smaller. She just hoped that the two inches the geta sandals gave her weren't enough to make her taller than Yukio.

Rin made it out of the mansion just as Yukio was getting there.

"Good evening Rin," said Yukio nervously

"Hello Yukio," she said walking towards him and walking towards the village. When Yukio didn't move, she looked behind her. He was just standing there. "Yukio?"

"Rin, I want to give you something," said Yukio turning around, holding something in his hand.

"What is it?" asked Rin, not expecting any kind of gift from Yukio. Yukio walked up to Rin and held out his closed hand. When he opened it, there was a blue feather.

"Is that a feather?" asked Rin.

"Yes," said Yukio. "It's a magpie feather."

"I thought that magpies were black and white, not blue?"

"Actually, a magpie is all of those," said Yukio, becoming more confident. When it came to nature, Yukio knew a lot about it. "Even though the majority of the feathers are black and white, it does have some blue plumage. It has a special place in the story of the Star Festival."

"Oh," said Rin, intrigued. She hadn't heard the story and was eager to here the tale behind the festival.

"Well," began Yukio, "It's a tale of great fantasy."

* * *

As the two walked down the pathway to the village, the amber eyed demon averted his eyes to look out towards the sky. The star festival was today. Not that he went to the village to celebrate it with the humans. It was the day that his mother had died. The star festival was one of her favorite days, and therefore became one of his. It was a shame that she had passed away on the same day. A day that was supposed to a happy day.

_FLASH BACK_

_It was when Sesshomaru was closer to his father. Before he meet "her". Sesshomaru was a little more than a pup. In human terms, he was about 12 years old. He was getting to the point where he didn't need his mother anymore, but still wanted her. He had watched as his mother became heavy with his father's pup. Even though she was supposed to have her pup soon, she still wanted to go to the Star Festival that was supposed to happen tonight. It wasn't the festival itself that appealed to her; it was the chance she had to watch the stars with Inutaisho, Sesshomaru's father._

"_Come along son," said his mother. "It's best if we can get to our spot now, before it gets too dark."_

"_But can't you find you're way by your nose?" asked Sesshomaru._

"_I normally could, but being so along in pregnancy, I can only smell my pup."_

_Suddenly, she became doubled over in pain, the smell of blood and a liquid he couldn't place._

"_Mother, what's wrong?" asked Sesshomaru quickly._

"_I think I'm going to give birth, but something is wrong."_

"_I'll get father," said Sesshomaru starting to go for help._

"_No," she said, "He's coming."_

_Out of no where, he was there picking her up like she was nothing more than a flower. When they got back to the house, he put her on her bed and called for her midwives and ladies in waiting. Although he was the lord of the house, he was ushered from the room._

"_May I please stay with my mother?" asked Sesshomaru, pleading like a child?_

"_I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru but you cannot…" started a midwife_

"_Let him stay, and please allow Lord Inutaisho here" she said in a strangled voice._

_Sesshomaru moved to her side as the midwife opened the door and moved so that he could come in. He moved to the opposite side of where Sesshomaru was._

"_How are you feeling?" he asked concern evident in his voice._

"_I'll be fine my lord," she said quietly._

_A spasm of pain ravaged her body as she let out a groan of pain._

"_Push my lady," said one of the midwives._

_As she pushed, trying to force the pup from her body, she became more and more exhausted._

"_Almost, my lady, one more should do it," said the midwife, trying to encourage her._

_She gave one more giant push and a gush of liquid came out of her body. She laid back, her energy spent. Soon after, another wave of pain hit her causing her to cry out in pain._

"_What's going on?" he asked as the midwife quickly handed off a bundle to another. The bundle wasn't moving._

"_It seems that my lady is giving birth to more than one tonight," said the midwife not mentioning the bundle._

"_Why wasn't my pup crying when it was born?" he asked._

"_He was born without breath," said the midwife quietly._

_His father became quite as he stroked the cheek of his mate, truly showing the love he held for her._

_Another spasm and another sound of gushing liquid, this time more than the last._

_There was a cry this time, both from the pup in the midwife's arms and from the mother on the bed. The smell of blood was so great, that there was no doubt about it. She was dieing. _

"_It's a girl my lady," said the midwife through her tears, knowing that her lady was dieing._

"_Let me hold my daughter," she said quietly._

_The midwife put the infant in the arms of her lady and stood back to watch. The lord would need her to take care of his new born._

"_She is so beautiful isn't she my lord?" she asked._

"_Like her mother."_

"_Look at your little sister," she said signaling Sesshomaru to view the infant in her arms. She had white hair and little ears. She was so little; she looked like she could break at any moment._

"_Her name will be Sachi," she said as the last bit of life seeped from her body in the crimson blood that flowed from her body._

_As his father kissed her on the forehead, the midwife took Sachi away._

"_I love you mother," said Sesshomaru under his breath as tears streamed from his eyes._

"_She loved you too son," he said, covering the beautiful face of his deceased mate._

_That night, Sachi died. They buried Sachi, his unnamed brother, and his mother at the spot which meant so much to her._

_END FLASH BACK_

'I need to go there tonight,' thought Lord Sesshomaru. He did this every year. A tribute to his mother. But it was always so lonely.

* * *

"So, when you throw the magpie feather into the river, it is represented as the bridge that goes across the Amanogawa and connects the two who are so deeply in love," explained Yukio as he gave Rin the blue feather before they made it into the village. It was a little lie about the feather, but it was worth it to be with Rin.

"But why do only women put them in the river?" asked Rin looking at Yukio with those innocent eyes.

"I really don't know," said Yukio as he looked at the sky, pretending to think, but actually trying to get away from those accusatory eyes. "I think it's just they way the tradition goes."

"Oh," said Rin, looking down at the blue feather in her hands. It wasn't just blue, as she had originally thought. It had white at the tip and black at the base. But even though they were on the same feather, they were only connected with the blue. 'It reminds me of the tale Yukio told me,' thought Rin to herself as she smiled.

The two made they're way through the village. They stopped at a stale, but Rin didn't notice, she was still thinking about the tale.

"Rin?"

That brought her out of her trance. "Yes?" asked Rin, looking at Yukio again.

"Did you hear me?" asked Yukio.

"No, I was still thinking about the tale," said Rin truthfully.

"Oh," said Yukio quietly, "Would you like some dumplings?"

"Oh yes, thank you," said Rin as she accepted the stick that Yukio was offering her.

"Yukio!" called a voice from the crowd.

"Yes?" asked Yukio, talking to the man who had called his name.

"We need you're help."

"Can't it wait?" asked Yukio.

"No, it can't."

He turned to Rin. "I have to go, but I'll meet you at a certain spot. If you follow the river, you'll hit a fork in the road. When you get there, turn right. I'll meet you in a clearing at the top of a hill."

"But," started Rin quietly. She was a little scared and it showed in her voice.

"Here Rin," said Yukio, knowing why she'd be afraid, handing her a knife. "You can give it back to me when we meet again."

"Thank you," said Rin as he moved away.

Rin went though the village until she got to the river. She followed it, picking wild flowers along the way, putting them into her hair. When she got to the fork, she wasn't paying attention and went onto the left fork. When she got to the top of the hill, she gasped. The view was amazing. You could see the mountains, the distant lake that looked almost like an ocean, the flowing grasslands, the rice fields, everything. When she looked up, the stars seemed so close, you could almost touch them. While admiring the view, she didn't notice the demon approach from behind.

"MY, AREN'T YOU A PRETTY LITTLE THING," said the ogre.

Rin turned around quickly, her eyes becoming wide at the sight of the demon.

"WHY DON'T YOU COME PLAY WITH ME, LITTLE HUMAN," sniggered the ogre, taking in the curves of her body.

"IF YOU COME QUIETLY AND DON'T FIGHT, I'LL ONLY TAKE WHAT I WANT. I WON'T KILL YOU OR EAT YOU."

"I DON'T THINK SO," said Rin taking the knife from it's hiding place and flinging it at the ogre, hitting it in the head.

The ogre took the blow full on, bending backwards as an effect of the force. Rin let out a sigh, realizing now that she had been holding her breath.

"THAT WAS A NICE THROW, LITTLE MISSY," said the ogre, the knife sticking out of his head. "IT WOULD HAVE WORKED IF MY BRAIN WAS IN MY HEAD."

Rin took a step backwards and hit the edge of the hill. It had a sheer drop. If she fell, she'd die. At the bottom were jagged rocks and trees, neither of which looked soft. Not a happy landing.

"READY OR NOT, HERE I COME," said the ogre.

Before the ogre reached her, a whip of green pulls the ogre out to the clearing. A scream reaches her ears, making her cower. The screaming quickly becomes a gurgling sound. Out of the darkness comes another creature with the knife Rin had used to attack the ogre.

"Rin…"

Rin quickly looks over at the creature, realizing that it's Lord Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru…"

* * *

He walked closer to Rin. He watched as her fearful eyes registered him, but the fear remained. He stopped.

"Rin, why are you afraid of me?" asked Sesshomaru, slightly surprised.

"I'm not afraid of you Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin meekly.

He stepped closer to her, the fear becoming more and more obvious in her eyes.

"Then why are you're eyes telling me you are?" asked Sesshomaru, continually stepping closer.

Rin had nothing to say to this effect. She quickly looked away from Sesshomaru, but her breathing didn't stop.

Sesshomaru reached out a hand to touch Rin's face, when she flinched away from his touch.

Sesshomaru pulled back. He stepped away and stood next to Rin, but not too close. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Rin."

"You killed him," said Rin quietly

"You would have rather had me let him ravage you?" asked Sesshomaru.

"No, but…"

"But what?" asked Sesshomaru. "Something was going to die in that situation, me, you, or the ogre. What would you rather me have done?"

"I don't know," said Rin truthfully. "I understand that to stay alive, things have to die, but I don't understand why something has to die."

"You are a kind person," said Sesshomaru, "You're also human. With both of those characteristics, it's hard for you to understand that to live, something must inevitably die."

Rin got up. She looked up at the sky. She was crying now. She couldn't help it, but she was. She had cried the night she killed the gecko demon, but she hadn't understood why. Now she did. She didn't like to see things die.

"Thank you," said Rin through her tears. "I don't know what I'd have done if you didn't show up."

Sesshomaru didn't say anything. He just listened to her tears as the streamed from her eyes, down her cheeks and as they hit the dry earth. He wanted to go to her, but he didn't.

She calmed down enough to look around her. She noticed that there were three stones near where Lord Sesshomaru was standing.

"Why did you come up here?" asked Rin, not taking her eyes off the stones.

"They are the graves of my sister Sachi, my brother who never received a name, and my mother. Many years ago, they died on this day."

"I'm so sorry, Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin, looking at the face of her lord. She noticed that he wasn't upset, or angry, or anything. He just was. He didn't say anything. He didn't even acknowledge that she had said anything.

She walked over to the graves and kneeled beside them. A piece of hair moved into her line of sight, and as she brushed it back, remembered the flowers she'd put in her hair. She took them out and them on each of the graves. When she finished, she said a silent prayer.

It wasn't until she was done, did she notice that Lord Sesshomaru was behind her.

"Thank you," said Lord Sesshomaru quietly. As Rin tried to stand up, he gave her his hand, helping he stand.

Standing up, she realized how close she was to him. He had an earthy smell to him. It had an extreme masculine quality to it. 'No,' her brain was telling her, but everything else was going, 'You know you want to."

She was so tempting, with those big eyes looking up at him. So trusting. It wouldn't take much too just seize her lips. He moved a little closer, seeing those brown eyes become darker with both lust and anticipation. She lifted her mouth to him, just willing him to take them. He covered her mouth with his, tasting the sweetness of her undefiled mouth. It was like tasting the beauty of flowers, the softness in silk, and the sweetness in the smell of air in a field. It was intoxicating.

A bird crying in the forest drew Rin from the pleasurable experience of being with Sesshomaru, and actually into what she was actually doing.

"Oh," said Rin quickly. "I'm sorry my lord, I have to go,"

As he watched her leave, he touched his lips, savoring the feeling like a fine wine.

* * *

As she walked beside the river, Rin thought of what had just happened between her and Lord Sesshomaru. Just thinking about it made her blush. She was straightening herself out when she felt something tickle her hand. She looked down at the little blue feather in her hand. She looked up at the sky. 'I hope you always love him,' thought Rin, as she dropped the feather in the river and watched as it headed down stream. 'It's time to go to bed,' said Rin to herself, taking one more look at the sky, wondering if the two were with each other right now.

To be continued…

An: Yes, geta sandals are more associated with the geisha, but Rin needed shoes, and those are the kinds that everyone usually associates with the Japanese shoes. Yes, that's Lord Sesshomaru's past, or part of it, and I FINALLY GAVE RIN AN EYE COLOR! I know I didn't because I searched all of my chapters for where I say I gave her an eye color. I didn't.

p.s. Micorsoft word hates me with a passion! It won't let me upload this chapter because it comes out as one big blob of words, so I'm using this rtf thing. Enjoy my hard and painstaking work! Lol! just kidding. Didn't mean for it to sound so mean. but the work is hard. 1 chapter, entirely new in 7 hours. That's good for me, I think. That was with interuptions, meal, and lots of chores so, go me! Thank you again. I'm tired... 1:18a.m. on October the 10th! Who really reads this shit anyway?

* * *


	11. Tea

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, I don't own my house, I have no car, and my feet are protesting.

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: AH! Done! And after I had the flu too! GO ME! Read and Review!**

Chapter 10: Tea

The rain fell from the sky in blankets, yet the sky wasn't dark. Light grey clouds covered the sky, lightning illuminating the sky. The rain was cleansing the earth after the festival. Nature put off the rain so the two lovers could meet, but now, nature let all boundaries loose. The ground was soaked, lakes, rivers, and creeks were flooded, and no work could be done.

'But at least I can plan what work I can do when it dries out,' thought Rin as she sat under the library veranda, covered by the roof and trees.

"Ah, so there you are Rin," said Ai, as she sat down next to Rin. "I was wondering where you had gotten to."

"Good Morning Ai," said Rin, putting her work aside.

"What do you have there?" asked Ai, looking around Rin's shoulder.

"Something for Miki and her baby," said Rin holding up her knitting. On the end of the needles were the makings of a small sock.

"Oh, how adorable," said Ai, touching the sock. "It's so soft. Do you have any more made?"

Rin smiled as she held up another sock and a long gown sized for an infant.

"You work fast," said Ai, putting the rest of the work next to Rin.

"Infants are so tiny," said Rin as she started knitting again. "It's easy to make little things."

"How will you get this to Miki?" asked Ai, amazed by the speed of the needles.

"Well," said Rin, faltering momentarily, "I haven't quite figured that part out."

Ai sighed, "I wish she would have stayed. I'd have loved to see her child."

"Maybe Lord Sesshomaru will let you go visit Miki when she's going to have her child. You could use it to check on Lord Hiroshi and his lands," suggested Rin as she worked on the difficult part of connecting the sock together into one.

"Maybe," said Ai, "That would give it a plausible reason for Lord Sesshomaru to allow me to see Miki. She would give birth about mid to late winter and I could probably stay until about spring, but that's pushing it."

"Well, you'll never know until you ask him," said Rin, putting the completed sock down and starting something new.

"Do you think he'd let you go with me?" asked Ai, her gaze at the sky. "I could use you as some kind of helper."

"Maybe," said Rin quietly, blushing a bit. Her mind had traveled to Sesshomaru and they way he kissed her last night. Her concentration was so warped that she stopped working all together, her mind lost in thought.

"Rin?" asked Ai looking at her day dreaming friend, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh!" said Rin, looking quickly at her and then the floor, the blush intensifying on her cheeks, "Nothing's wrong, nothing at all."

"I heard you ran into Lord Sesshomaru last night at the festival," said Ai quietly.

"What…?" asked Rin quickly, surprised to hear how quickly news spread. She hadn't told anyone.

"Yes, they said you meet him at some secret grave sight of his dead mother," said Ai, glancing over at Rin trying to gauge her reaction. "They say he killed her."

"Lord Sesshomaru would never do that!" exclaimed Rin quickly, half rising from her seat on the ground.

"Calm down Rin," said Ai quickly, "I didn't say I believed the rumors."

"Why would anyone say such a thing?" asked Rin quietly, "He respects and loves his mother so much. He even cares for siblings that he never got the chance to know."

"So you were at the grave sight with Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Ai.

"Yes, I was," said Rin, picking her knitting up again, and continuing work.

"Then is the rest of it true?" asked Ai, her curiosity getting the better over her friendship with Rin.

"What do they say happened?" asked Rin cautiously.

"They say that you spent the night with Lord Sesshomaru on the hill and now you are carrying the heir of the Western Lands," said Ai, her eyes averting quickly to the ground in shame.

"What!?" asked Rin, her cheeks becoming inflamed again.

"I knew you didn't do anything like that," said Ai proudly. 'I can't believe that I ever thought that Rin was that kind of girl.'

"No! Of course I didn't," said an exasperated Rin.

Ai watched Rin as she started knitting again. As she gazed at Rin, Ai noticed that her cheeks didn't loose their red color.

"Rin?" asked Ai carefully, "If you didn't do anything with Lord Sesshomaru, why are you still blushing?"

"I didn't say I did nothing," said Rin barely above a whisper.

"What did you do?" asked Ai.

"Well…I…kissed….him," murmured Rin.

Ai started to giggle. "What's so funny?" asked Rin, accidentally snapping at her friend.

"Oh nothing," said Ai, her eyes looking up at the grey sky, "I was just remembering how nice it was to be young and naïve again, but that was a long time ago."

"How old are you then?" asked Rin.

"Oh, about 908, give or take a few years," said Ai.

"You look so young," said Rin.

"Oh thank you, I'd like to think so," said Ai, "It's the fortune of being a demon."

"That would do it then," said Rin quietly, feeling awkward.

"How old are you?" asked Ai, her sapphire eyes focusing on Rin's.

"17, I'll be 18 late spring," said Rin.

"You should be proud of yourself then," said Ai, looking back out at the rain.

"Why would you say that?" asked Rin.

"You are very intelligent for someone at such a young age," said Ai. She put her hands in the air, and her sapphire eyes changed almost aqua. Falling rain conjugated between her open hands under the veranda, forming a tight ball. To the surprise and delight of Rin, the ball of water seemed to steam and bubble in a matter of seconds.

"How do you do that?" asked Rin, her eyes alight with delight

"It's a little trick I have," said Ai smiling at her sheltered friend, "its pretty standard for a water demon to be able to manipulate all aspects of water. You wouldn't happen to have any tea cups on you?"

"I have one," said Rin producing her small teacup.

"Well, I don't need one," sighed Ai. "Do you have any tea on you?

"No, but there is some mint and jasmine in the garden, would you like me to get you some?" asked Rin, putting her growing baby blanket down.

"Yes, I could dry the leaves out quite nicely," said Ai, "please get twice as much leaves as you would dried. It shrinks in size so much when I dry it."

"Alright," said Rin as she rushed into the garden, regardless of the rain seeping into her hair and clothes.

'What a strong girl,' thought Ai as she watched Rin scurry around the plants. Ai looked over at a far window, noticing a pair of amber eyes watching the drenched girl. 'Oh Rin, you don't know your hold on that man.'

"Here you are, Ai," said Rin rushing back, gasping for breath.

"My dear, you're soaked to the bone," said from the open library door.

"Good afternoon Maro," said Ai, making the steaming water gather in size, while the leaves on the porch began to shrivel.

"I brought two cups Ai," said Maro as she sat down, her old bones creaking from the effort.

"Oh thank you Maro," said Ai, "You are always so thoughtful."

"Were there enough leaves?" asked Rin.

"Oh yes Rin," said Ai, "too much for just the three enough though,"

"It seems I am thoughtful again," said Maro as she pulled out a teapot, "I brought this along, just incase there was any extra."

"You think of everything Maro," said Rin with a smile.

"Thank you child," said Maro, her eyes smiling at Rin.

"I do believe the leaves are dry enough," said Ai as she picked up the leaves, "Let us steep the tea." Ai dropped the leaves into the water, watching as the water turned a delightful amber color.

"Why don't you take the extra up to Lord Sesshomaru?" suggested Maro, as Ai separated some tea into her cup.

"Ummm…" murmured Rin, looking slightly nervous.

"Yes, that's a great idea," said Ai, putting some steaming tea into the pot.

"Alright then," said Rin as she gathered the pot and a cup.

"You might want to take another one," said Maro, holding out a second up. "Lord Sesshomaru has a history of being violent with pottery, crockery, and glassware, but he seems to have a special attraction to breaking tea cups."

"Alright," said Rin, trying to juggle the two cups and the pot as she tried to pick up her knitting.

"Oh, it's alright Rin," said Ai taking the knitting from her hands, "We won't let anything happen to it. It'll be here when you get back, and if we have to leave, we'll take it with us and deposit it in you're room later."

The smile on Ai's face spread to Rin's as she agreed to entrust her knitting into their hands. As she headed towards Lord Sesshomaru's study, she looked back at the two as they sat and sipped the tea.

* * *

He moved away from the window and sat down. 'What a horrible day,' thought Sesshomaru as he looked out the window again from his desk. He hated the rain. There was only so much house work that could be done before there was no work left. Before he could do too much work, a smell wafted to his nose. 'What could she want?' Sesshomaru asked himself. A small knock followed shortly after.

"Enter," said Sesshomaru, his eyes on the papers in front of him.

"Good afternoon Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin with a bow.

"What do you want?" asked Lord Sesshomaru, his eyes never leaving the paper.

"I was wondering if you would like some freshly made tea?" asked Rin with another bow.

"Does that mean you would offer me old, stale tea?" inquired Sesshomaru, as he put a stamp on the paper he was reading, placing in it an ever growing pile.

"No my lord," said Rin with a quick bow, "I only mean the tea is made from herbs that had been dried today."

"No," said Lord Sesshomaru as he continued working.

"If you change your mind," said Rin, "I will put a cup on your desk." She pored a cup and prepared to leave.

"Wait," said Lord Sesshomaru suddenly.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Rin, turning around.

"Stay, it will allow you to use that extra tea you brought in that pot," said Sesshomaru, continuing to work.

"I will, thank you my lord," said Rin, bowing again.

"It will also give you a chance to dry off," said Sesshomaru, his eyes leaving his work to travel the length of her body.

Rin looked down. Her kimono was soaked and skin tight against her. She put her arms around her chest, and looked away, her cheeks blushing.

"Here," said Sesshomaru, standing up. He walked over to a trunk and pulled out a kimono. It was red with white flowers at the bottom, cuffs, and neck. He handed here the kimono along with a white obi sash.

"Put this on."

Rin just stood there, looking at him.

"I'll turn around," said Sesshomaru, and he put his back to the wet girl.

Rin quickly stripped out of her wet kimono and put the new red one on. It was surprisingly warm for being so thin. Made of the finest silk, the kimono seemed to be an exact opposite of the pattern that Sesshomaru wore.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Rin, after a minute.

"Yes?" asked Sesshomaru, his back still toward Rin.

"Do you think you could help me tie the sash?" asked Rin quietly.

Sesshomaru turned around and took the sash from Rin's extended hand. He put the sash around her waist as she turned around, allowing his hands to brush against her stomach, earning a shiver from Rin. He smiled as he tied the sash, taking full advantage of his situation to view her in the kimono, allowing his hands to rest on her waist for a minute.

"Turn around Rin," said Lord Sesshomaru.

Rin turned around, meeting his amber eyes. They we so clear and cold, never betraying any feelings he felt. They seemed so devoid of life. Just the thought of no life brought the memory of the ogre into her mind. His eyes were the same, no remorse, no hate, no feeling at all. As cold as the death he delivered. The realizations made her involuntarily shudder, taking a small step backwards.

"Rin?" asked Sesshomaru, seeing the emotions play in her descriptive eyes.

"It's nothing my lord," said Rin, bowing again. "We should drink the tea before it gets too cold."

"Yes," said Sesshomaru. He walked back over to his desk and picked up the tea, not waiting for Rin.

Rin sat at the desk and poured herself a cup, her hands shaking. Lord Sesshomaru noticed this, but kept silent about it. He watched as she brought the cup to her lips that only yesterday he had claimed. Unexpectedly, he found himself captivated by those same lips. Rin's current behavior was the only thing that stopped him from capturing her lips again.

"Rin, what is on your mind?" asked Lord Sesshomaru, putting his cup down on his desk.

"Nothing my lord," said Rin quietly.

"It is never wise to lie to this Sesshomaru," said Lord Sesshomaru sternly, earning a startled look to come into Rin's eyes.

"It's nothing the great Lord Sesshomaru should have to be concerned about," said Rin tactfully.

"This Sesshomaru will decide what is or is not significant," he said.

"Rin just looked at him, not sure of what to do. The look in Sesshomaru's eyes gave nothing away.

"It's nothing Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin quickly, standing up and heading for the door. But Sesshomaru was too fast. He had her by the wrist before she was halfway to the door.

"This Sesshomaru commands you to tell him," said Sesshomaru in a stern voice.

"It's nothing," said Rin, pulling to get her wrist free from his grasp, earning Sesshomaru's grip to increase.

"It would be wise to tell me," said Lord Sesshomaru.

"You're hurting me," said Rin quietly, her eyes filling with tears of confusion and pain, one escaping her eyes. A finger came gently up, wiping the small tear from her cheek. He released her wrist and his hands moved to her face, wiping more confused tears that escaped her eyes.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," said Sesshomaru quietly.

A blush had come to Rin's cheeks as she leaning into one of his comforting hands. 'Hands that can give both comfort and pain,' thought Rin as she felt her reddening wrist.

Sesshomaru looked into Rin's brown eyes, her eyes becoming clear of tears again, leaving them shimmering in the afternoon light. His lips meet hers, earning a small gasp to escape her lips. Taking the opportunity, he used her gasp to allow passage for his tongue to explore her mouth. She was just as sweet as before.

Rin had first stood there as Lord Sesshomaru kissed her, but his tongue entered her mouth, an unexpected instinct took over. Before she could even think, her tongue was imitating the movements that Lord Sesshomaru's was doing.

Sesshomaru was surprised to feel such a response form Rin. He was even more surprised to feel her arms go around his neck, urging his head closer to hers. Another small moan escaped her lips as he put his arms around her waist. The kiss became more intense as Sesshomaru picked Rin up, just enough to make her mouth more accessible to him.

A swift knock broke the two apart as the door to the study opened.

"My lord?" started Jaken as he put his head in the door, only to make contact with a teacup, knocking the servant out.

Sesshomaru growled slightly at the interruption, looking over at the toad. His gaze traveled down to Rin who was beet red and peering intently at the floor.

"Rin?" asked Lord Sesshomaru.

"It'd be best if I left," said Rin as she hurried from the room, stepping over the toad demon in the doorway.

'I would have stepped on him,' thought Sesshomaru. He looked down at the wet kimono on the floor, wondering why he had kissed her again…

To be continued…


	12. Threat Arises, Opportunities Emerge Prt1

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, I don't own my house, I have no car, and my feet are protesting.

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: Here I am, sick little ole' me, trying to fix a fax machine. And I type a chapter for my loving fans! Go Me! I wrote this a long time ago, and I was just too lazy to put it up. Isn't that pathetic when the author says, Damn, I'm just too lazy to update.**

Chapter 11: Threat Arises, Opportunities Emerge Part 1

The rain had stopped the next day. The early morning sun had dried the earth, inverting heat into the rich soil. With the sun higher in the sky, birds had come out to sing a welcome to the new, warm day. The house was bustling with workers trying to make up for the previous day's lack. Well… everyone except for one.

Her hair had still been wet when Rin had gone to bed the previous night, damp from the run to the village she had done after her confrontation with Lord Sesshomaru. When she was back in her room, the rain had stopped so she opened a window, letting the crisp, cool air carry away the musty air that had accumulated throughout the day. She started a fire and sat, thinking about her conversation with Yukio.

**In the village**

"You shouldn't be out here," said Yukio almost dragging the wet Rin under the awning of his home.

"I came to apologize about last night and not enjoying the star festival with you," said Rin quickly, shivering from the cold.

"Its fine," said Yukio, taking a blanket to wrap her in.

"No it's not," said Rin defensively, "I promised to watch the star festival with you, but I got lost. And now I want to apologize and give you back your knife." She pushed the metal object into his hand.

"Rin, you didn't have to come down here in the rain to give me back a knife," said Yukio, "I could have gotten it at any time."

"But I wanted to give it to you now and now I must go," said Rin as she handed him the blanket back. "Bye Yukio!"

"Bye… Rin," said Yukio softly, thinking of how sweet a person Rin was.

**END**

A shiver coursed through Rin as she laid out the kimono Lord Sesshomaru had given her. Rin quickly went under the covers before the cold had set too far into her bones, forgetting her damp hair and the cool breeze coming through the window.

When she awoke the next day, Rin felt nothing but the splitting pain in the head and the desperate yearning of heat. When she tried to rise, her world turned into a sea of shapes and blurring colors spinning around her head. She couldn't even reach for a log to throw on the dieing embers of the fire she had made the night before. All she could do was close her eyes and will her stomach to calm itself against the rising nauseous feeling expanding throughout her entire body.

* * *

"WHERE IS SHE?!" shrieked the green toad as he paced in front of the doors.

"I don't know Master Jaken," said Misa hurriedly. Rin was late. 'She's never late,' thought Misa.

"Do you think someone should check on her?" suggested a slightly apprehensive Ai.

"When I want your opinion Ai," said Jaken testily, "I'll give it to you."

"She's probably feeling the effects of last night," murmured Amarante in a voice everyone could here quite clearly.

"What do you mean?" asked Misa leering at the antagonistic fox demon.

"Well, she came in so late, and she was wearing clothes that were utterly soaked through and through. And they were so strange, compared to the plane ones she usually wears, so I assume she got them when she went to visit someone in the village," said Amarante, feigning innocence.

"You mean some "man", don't you Amarante?" spat Ai.

"Well, if the shoe fits," said Amarante smirking.

"You would know about those shoes too well Amarante," said Misa.

"Oh you know as good as I do that Rin is just a little tramp," said Amarante dropping her façade.

"Now Amarante…"snarled Ai, the air beginning to crackle with all the anger floating around.

"ENOUGH!" shouted the shrill Jaken.

"Jaken!" shouted Lord Sesshomaru over the voice of the screaming toad.

Everyone seemed to snap back into their proper attitude at the sound of their master's voice.

"Yes My Lord?" asked Jaken meekly.

"What is all the commotion at this time of the day?" asked Lord Sesshomaru, eyeing the toad and 3 women sternly, more for their conversation than their actual noise level.

"It's nothing my lord, just one of the servant's hasn't made it to their chores yet," said Jaken, smiling nervously at Lord Sesshomaru.

"Well, why don't you check on the servant you are making such a disturbance over," said Lord Sesshomaru as he turned around, heading back to his room.

"Why didn't you people think of that?" asked Jaken accusingly.

'I'm surrounded by idiots,' thought Lord Sesshomaru.

"I'll check on her," said Maro as she came from the opposite direction as Lord Sesshomaru.

"Yes," said Jaken, his hand on his large chine, "That would be best Maro, as you seem to be the only one of Lord Sesshomaru's servants that is competent."

"Does that include you Jaken?" snarled Misa, her eyes dark with anger.

"Ummm…. Back to work!" yelled Jaken as he ran into the kitchen.

"Stupid Toad!" spat Misa as she headed out the door.

Maro chuckled at the sight of the young demons reacting to Jaken's attitude. Maro made her way down the hallway towards Rin's room.

"Maro… Maro…" called Ai as she raced down the hall towards Maro.

"Yes Ai?" asked Maro.

"Let me accompany you to check on Rin," said Ai quickly.

"I suppose I could use the help," said Maro as she continued on her journey.

When they reached Rin's door, Maro paused for a moment.

"Do you hear that?" asked Maro quickly, sounding distressed.

"Hear what?" asked Ai.

"Oh, this isn't good," sighed Maro. With that she opened the door to Rin's room.

"Oh, it's so cold," said Maro as she threw a log on the dieing embers engulfed the log, spreading light throughout the room.

"Oh Rin," said Ai as she caught the sight of Rin, lying on the floor, her breathing eradicate, a cough racking her body.

Maro knelt next to Rin, putting her hand on Rin's forehead. "She's burning up with fever," said Maro quietly. "Ai," said Maro, getting the demon's attention. "Please go to the kitchens and get me a kettle, water, and cups."

"Yes Maro," said Ai as she rushed to the door.

"Oh Ai," said Maro quickly.

"Yes?"

"Will you tell Lord Sesshomaru what condition Rin's in?"

"Yes Maro," said Ai, running out the door to fill the old woman's bidding.

* * *

Sesshomaru put down his work, feeling restless. 'I wonder if Rin's out working today?' thought Sesshomaru to himself. He headed toward the window. He looked towards the outside, seeing the gardens void of all life save for the plants. 

'She is not out there?' thought Sesshomaru, surprised. He looked to see if she had traveled to the village after she had done some weeding. But all the gardens were still infested with weeds. There was a knock at the door.

"Enter," said Lord Sesshomaru, still peering out the windows.

"My Lord?" asked Ai.

"What do you want?" asked Lord Sesshomaru.

"I was commanded by Maro to inform you of Rin's condition."

Lord Sesshomaru meet the words with silence.

"She has a terrible fever, her breathing is constricted, and a cough rakes her body," said Ai, "That's all I know. "I'll make sure to tell Maro to come and give you and update when she is ready to," and she scurried out of the room.

"Rin…"

Lord Sesshomaru threw open the doors to the gardens and left, heading towards the mountains.

To be continued…

**I only did this so I could give you something to read while I typed up the second part. I'm on my 9th hand written page, and I have 10 more to go. I know it's short, but you'll get more later tonight if I have my way, and if I don't, It'll be Friday, if I'm not being too lazy.**


	13. Threat Arises, Opportunities Emerge Prt2

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, and people keep saying that I will never own it, but I will prove them wrong! evil laughing

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: Ah, part 2 for I was too lazy to make it one. Aren't I a great author!**

Chapter 11: Threat Arises, Opportunities Emerge Part 2

"How is she?" asked Misa, coming into the room.

"Not much better than she was this morning," said a tired Maro, "But she is resting easier because of the tea I made with the bark of the black ash and the snow white maple."

"Those are powerful herbs Maro," said Misa quickly, "You better be careful not to give her too much of that if you want her to wake up from her sleep."

"I am quite aware of the risks and the procedure of administrating it," said Maro as she changed the rag on Rin's forehead, as a cough seemed to consume her body. When she had finally stopped, Maro adjusted the cloth on her forehead and sighed.

"Would you please keep an eye on her?" asked Mora as she got up, her joints popping.

"What do you plan to do?" asked Misa.

"I plan to sit a little closer to the fire so my bones and I can rest a bit," said Maro, "Wake me if she gets worse."

"Yes Maro," said Misa, sighing at the old woman.

The hold woman settled down for a long nap. A cool wind blew from the north. Misa looked toward the window. For a minute she thought she smelled Lord Sesshomaru.

* * *

Lord Sesshomaru moved smoothly through the dangerous northern mountains. Legend told of a demon that used to stalk the area. But legend never said if the demon ever resurfaced. Tales told of a priestess locking the demon in a natural barrier. But Lord Sesshomaru never paid heed to legend. As the most powerful demon lord in the area, he had little to fear.

Suddenly, Lord Sesshomaru lifted his nose to the wind.

"Ah," smirked Lord Sesshomaru, "there they are."

Lord Sesshomaru picked up speed, following the smell. He broke thought the clearing into a sunlight pond. Fed by the waterfall, the pond was surrounded by flowers. But, when you looked closer to these flowers, you saw the depth these blossoms truly had. The entire spectrum of color existed in these flowers. From them came a delicate fragrance smelling like nothing else on the planet. Sesshomaru remembered his mother always having these blossoms in the house, always smelling of them. His father used to give his mother flowers all the time, always the spectrum blossoms.

Lord Sesshomaru scooped up a large bouquet of the delicate blossoms.

'Rin will love these,' thought Sesshomaru ignoring the inner voice saying she was a lowly human.

Moving carefully from the clearing, Sesshomaru made his way back towards the castle, his rare gift in hand.

What Sesshomaru failed to notice was the holes left by the tender stalks. The area where the flowers had resided was dead and decaying. Deep underground laid a sacred sutra. Out of the decayed hold seeped black ooze. Ever so slowly, the ooze crept towards the sutra, the demon trying to get free. As the ooze touched the sutra, a small barrier formed around it, purifying the ooze and the infected area.

"Blast," said an ancient voice. "That damn priestess was more powerful than I imagined. Even after all these years, her magic is still powerful. One of her decedents must still be living supplying the barrier with strength."

What seemed like an arm of slime appeared slowly from the ground. It slowly opened its hand, fingers extending, causing small amounts of sludge to sprinkle on the ground, sucking the life from anything it touched.

"Servants of the Southern Bogs, come to me. Serve the purpose you were created for. Flock to my place of imprisonment. Be my eyes and ears as I am trapped from the outside world."

As his words echoed through the woods, cries could be heard, coming closer and closer. Ravens took refuge in the trees, their black eyes focused on the hand, poised for instructions.

"Servants" cried the voice. "Find any descendents of the great priestess Inari. Find them and bring word back. Be cautious as her offspring will be guarded well. Now go, wretched slaves do not come back without news."

With shrill cries, the ravens left the tree in all directions, searching, looking for any trace of the priestess or her great power. To find the power source, to see the aura, a simple task seemingly impossible to achieve.

"You haven't beaten me yet Inari. When I destroy your descendent and this damned barrier, I will plunge this land into an apocalypse that not even Inutaisho could avert."

A shot of blue sparks sent the arm back into the ground, the land becoming green and vibrant once again. There, underground, the demon plotted its revenge.

* * *

Lord Sesshomaru put the bouquet into a vase in his study. He was planning to give them to Rin when she awoke, but as far as he knew, she was still asleep.

"Enter," said Sesshomaru before the old woman could knock.

"Good Afternoon Lord Sesshomaru," said Maro, bowing as far as her arthritic back would allow.

"Good Evening Maro," said Lord Sesshomaru, sitting at his desk, beginning to examine the large pile of papers that had accumulated while he was absent.

Maro looked out the window at the darkening sky. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru, I suppose you're right."

"Why are you here Maro?" asked Lord Sesshomaru, getting straight to the point.

"Rin has awakened Lord Sesshomaru, but her fever has yet to completely disappear. I have heard that you've made plans to travel to your southern most lands, is this true?"

"What is your point?" asked Lord Sesshomaru, cocking his eyebrow.

"You usually take Jaken on these kinds of trips, along with Ahun; I was wondering if you wouldn't take Rin with you. The southern air would greatly improve her health."

Lord Sesshomaru continued his work, contemplating a response. 'Why would you want to take her along?' the inner voice asked him accusingly.

"If you do take my suggestion to take here, I would suggest leaving in a few days, but no earlier than two, fore it will take two days for Rin to recover enough to travel. The fever and cough ravaged her body, leaving her weak. If you would like to see her for yourself, I plan on leaving her unsupervised. Good night Lord Sesshomaru," said Maro as she walked out the door.

'That woman knows me too well,' thought Sesshomaru, as he gathered the bouquet from the vase, and heading out to the gardens, taking the long way to Rin's room.

* * *

Rin awoke to a strange noise. A soft voice which drew her from her fevered slumber and demanded her attention immediately.

"Rin…"

Rin looked towards the voice, coming from the window. She saw Lord Sesshomaru's eyes, illuminated by the glow of the moon.

"Yes my Lord?" asked Rin weakly, more by habit than actual comprehension.

"How are you feeling Rin?" asked Lord Sesshomaru.

"Tired, but I feel better."

"When you are better Rin," said Lord Sesshomaru, "would you like to accompany me on a journey to my southern lands?"

"Are you sure you want to take me along on your journey my lord?" asked Rin, sleep beginning to cloud her fevered mind.

"Yes," said Lord Sesshomaru, forcing the answer out as soft as possible. 'She is sick and delirious,' thought Lord Sesshomaru, 'that's why she's questioning me.'

"Thank you very much Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin quietly, "I would very much enjoy accompanying you on your journey."

"That's settled then," said Lord Sesshomaru, turning towards the window. "When you are well, pack a few things. You will walk or ride."

"Will I need to bring Gin?" asked Rin.

"No, you will be riding Ahun," said Sesshomaru.

"Ahun?" asked Rin, a yawn grabbling her question. But no answer came back. She looked around for a second before something caught her eye. Atop the trunk near the window was a bouquet of flowers.

"What pretty flowers," said Rin absently, sleep taking its hold on the girl.

Lord Sesshomaru came closer to Rin, kneeling next to her.

"Good night Rin," said Lord Sesshomaru, kissing her on her forehead.

* * *

The red clad demon chased after the raven. With an outstretched hand, he caught the raven, killing it in its struggle for freedom.

"Yup," said the demon, smelling the bird, "This is one of "his" servants. He's trying to find something."

He looked off into the distance facing the direction the bird was flying.

"Damn," sighed the demon, "Why did it have to be my brother's territory?" A soft cry of a baby brought the demon out of his thoughts. The cries were quickly subdued by a soft lullaby.

"It seems Suoh is up," smiled the demon, thinking of his son cradled in the arms of his mate. He sighed as he became absorbed with the soft song his mate was using to calm their child.

_Nighttime has come,  
Gone is the sun,  
Dream sky is spun,  
Stars, one by one... _

_Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Hush, hush, hush. _

Oyasumi, close your eyes,  
Oyasumi, close your eyes,  
Oyasumi, close your eyes,  
Sleep, sleep, sleep.

Oyasumi, dream of me,  
Oyasumi, dream of me,  
Oyasumi, dream of me,  
Dream, dream, dream.

Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Hush, hush, hush.

Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Oyasumi, hush my love,  
Hush, hush, hush,  
Hush, hush, hush,  
Hush, hush, hushhhhhhh.

When the song had faded away, the demon got up, full of piece and tranquility. He headed back to the village, yearning for the comfort of his mate's arms, and the love of his child.

To be continued…

**AN: Oyasumi means Goodnight in Japanese, and the song is called Oyasumi and it's from, Oyasumi- Goodnight: Japanese Lullabies and Restful Melodies, preformed by Akio Shimada and Elizabeth Falconer.**

_**AN: I had to put in another. I know what you all are thinking; she listens to such lame music. No, I don't listen to it, but I had to look up a lullaby, and there it was, staring me in the face. It is preformed quite beautifully though. One last thing. I love the fact that when I wrote in the name, "Akio Shimada," my computer didn't think it was spelled wrong meaning I have a few too many Japanese words swirling around in my computer. I just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you guys.**_

**AN: One last, last thing, anyone know who our red clad demon is? I could have put more details in, but I'm being lazy right now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, my second update in a week, thank you very much!**


	14. Priestess

Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, and people keep saying that I will never own it, but I will prove them wrong! evil laughing

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.**

**AN: YEAH! Finally a new chapter. Sorry it took so long… I was just so busy.**

Chapter 12: Priestess

The priestess of the local village sat quietly in Inuyasha's home, waiting for Inuyasha to return with his request.

"He'll be back soon," said Kagome as she held Suoh close to her, very protective of her first child.

"Do you have any idea what this about?" asked the priestess, her hand continually resting on her bow. Even though Inuyasha had been well behaved over the years, it didn't mean this priestess was going to trust him.

"I'm not quite sure," said Kagome, thinking. "I think it has something to do with crows."

"Crows?" asked the priestess.

"Yes," said Kagome shaking her head. "It's the strangest thing. He looks up at the sky and shakes his head saying "Damn crows.""

The priestess thought for a minute. 'Why would a demon concern himself with crows?'

"It's probably nothing at all," said Kagome smiling. "Can I offer you some tea… ummm…?"

"Botan," said the priestess, warming up to this young woman. "My name is Botan and I would love some tea."

"Alright," said Kagome standing up. She went over and was about to put Suoh into his cradle when Botan spoke up.

"I can hold him for you," she said, still sitting in her same position, her hand no longer resting on her bow.

Kagome looked uncertain, but gave her little infant into Botan's arms. She than went and began to make tea.

Botan looked down at the little baby in her arms. Even though he was so young, he had a full head of black hair. He looked up at her with light amber eyes, full of innocence and intrigue.

"Hello Suoh," said Botan quietly, watching his little black ears twitch, hearing his name.

The baby smiled up at her and reached a hand up to the protective necklace she wore around her neck.

"No, no little one," said Botan, putting her finger in his outstretched hand. "If you touch that, you'll hurt yourself."

The baby just squeezed her finger and laughed, thinking she was just playing a game. Botan just smiled back, playing with the little baby, forgetting that she was here for more important matters.

"Kagome!" called a male voice. Before she could answer, Inuyasha came inside the house, his eyes quickly catching those of the priestess and the fact that she held his son in her arms.

"What's wrong darling?" asked Kagome, still making tea.

"Take Suoh and go outside," commanded Inuyasha.

"But the tea," said Kagome quickly.

"Kagome, now…"

It was one of those times when Kagome wouldn't fight with Inuyasha. There were times when she knew he had something to do that had to be done, regardless of the danger.

"Alright Inuyasha, we'll be outside," said Kagome quietly. She scooped Suoh in her arms and went outside the door, just out of ear shot.

"Now what is this about?" asked Botan, her voice becoming cold and sharp.

"Makoto?" asked Inuyasha, "Does that name mean anything to you?"

"Makoto?" asked Botan, calming down. "Legend says that the great priestess Inari sealed the powerful demon Makoto eternally in an ancient bog deep in a forest. When he was sealed away, however, the bog became a meadow becoming extremely treacherous to travel to; there, in the bog, are the most beautiful flowers, said to only grow in that one meadow. They are known as Demon Blood."

"Do you know the rest of the legend?" asked Inuyasha.

"The rest of the legend?" asked the priestess.

"The part of the legend that states that the only thing keeping Makoto in place is the linage of Inari? The part of the legend that states that if there are no more living ancestors of Inari, the seal will decay, leaving Makoto to purge the lands into total decay and death?"

"I… I don't know… I've never heard that before," said Botan.

"Makoto is looking for that ancestor; he is looking for that ancestor to kill them and become free, once again."

"I have heard tales say that Inari had once lived in a village in the north, surrounded by mountains, away from the world."

"Do you know how to get there?" asked Inuyasha, getting to his feet.

"It is quite simple to get to the mountains," said Botan. "You head north. When you hit mountains that travel to the skies, then you're at the right area. The village, on the other hand, is unknown to me. You'll have to search for it on your own."

"Do you know?" asked Inuyasha, "How do I tell if they are Inari's ancestors?"

"They say that Inari had eyes like the sky, a trait passed down for generations."

"Thank you," said Inuyasha, sighing. 'This is going to be harder than I thought,' said Inuyasha. 'I don't want to ask him for help, but if I must, I must.'

Without another word, Inuyasha stood up and left, Kagome coming in quickly after him.

"What happened?" asked Kagome.

"There is danger in your husband's future," said Botan quietly.

Diamond in the Rough

Sesshomaru, Rin, and Ahun were slowly making their way to Hiroshi's land. Sesshomaru grumbled a little at the fact that they were moving slower than he'd usually do, but remember, he was with a human. In truth, though, the group never really stopped moving. They would stop only when Sesshomaru deemed it necessary, and that wasn't often. This would mean that Rin would go without food and water, catching what she could from atop Ahun's back; for if she would get down, she would easily be lost.

Sesshomaru looked at the sun as it set in the distance. He had not realized they had been walking so long. He put his hand out behind him to stop Ahun, but when the great beast stopped, there was a thump; of something hitting the ground.

Sesshomaru turned around, seeing a passed out Rin lying on the floor. He had forgotten that she had been sick and was also human. She needed food and water and sleep. He was going to pick up Rin when a strange feeling hit him.

'Am I actually feeling bad about what I let happen to Rin?' he asked himself in his head. He shook his head, continuing on what he was doing, the feeling never quite leaving him. He picked Rin up and placed her on Ahun's back for just a minute. He quickly made a bed of leaves and grasses, soft to the touch and put Rin down in the center.

Before long a fire was going near Rin and Sesshomaru sat down across from her, keeping an eye on her, even though he might not like to admit it.

Sesshomaru became quickly lost in thought about this woman who seemed to make him feel so strange. So deep in thought that a smell may have been unnoticed for too long. Sesshomaru got up, looking over in the direction of the moonlight, his half brother walking to him.

"Hello Sesshomaru," said Inuyasha with an edge to his voice.

"What do you want?"

"It seems you've taken a liking to humans," said Inuyasha, looking over at Rin. "I never thought my full blooded brother would stoop so low."

Sesshomaru said nothing as he glared at Inuyasha.

"Alright," said Inuyasha sighing. "I'm here… to ask for your help."

Sesshomaru said nothing, an eyebrow cocking. 'You would ask me for help?' he asked himself. 'How dare you.'

"On your land is the resting place of the demon Makoto," said Inuyasha quietly. "And the only way to destroy him is to have it done by an ancestor of the priestess who sealed him away."

Sesshomaru just stood there listening.

Inuyasha swallowed, not quite sure what to do, so he continued talking. "I… I need your help in finding the ancestor, and maybe destroying the demon."

"No," said Sesshomaru.

"No?" asked Inuyasha. "How can you say no?"

"No."

"Please…," said Inuyasha reluctantly. "Please…"

"Are you not using your old companions to help you in this search?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes," sighed Inuyasha, "but I feel it won't be enough."

"Are you asking me to join them?"

"No," said Inuyasha, "I am just asking you to look for this ancestor in the mountains. Can you do that for me?"

Sesshomaru said nothing, but it was a nothing in such a way as to maybe be, even the slightest chance of an 'alright you bastard half demon.'

Inuyasha inclined his head minutely, looking over at Rin. "You might want to feed her and get her some water. She is hungry and dehydrated."

"I don't need you telling me what to do."

"Just remember brother, that humans are my specialty." Inuyasha bounded away, going to find the others to begin searching.

Sesshomaru looked over at Rin and sat down again. He didn't need his brother telling him what to do. But when Rin awoke the next day, there was food and water next to her.

Diamond in the Rough

"Sisters!" said a young girl, smiling, her sky blue eyes smiling. "Sisters!" She ran into the temple, smiling as she came upon her two sisters. They were twins, exactly alike, except one was a priestess and the other was extremely pregnant.

"Hitomi?" asked Kaoru, the pregnant of the twins. "What is it?"

"I found something," said Hitomi, holding up a dead crow, a strange flower growing from it.

"That is Demon's Blood," said Kaori the priestess, standing up, becoming alarmed. "Where did you find that?"

"I found it on the edge of the village," said Hitomi, putting it down.

'At the edge of my barrier,' said Kaori to herself. "Were there more of them?"

"No," said Hitomi, "this is the only one I've seen."

"Alright," said Kaori, smiling. "Give me the crow and you go and play."

Hitomi looked at her sister a little apprehensibly. "Is something going to happen Kaori?"

"Nothing little one," said Kaoru, smiling. "Go and play."

"Alright," said the little girl, running and playing with the other children.

"You feel it?" asked Kaori.

"Just because we aren't priestesses, doesn't mean we can not feel it," said Kaoru. "We all have the abilities, and you are training Hitomi well. She will be a priestess."

"You should have been one," said Kaori.

"I was fated to carry on the linage, and that is well enough for me."

"You were the more powerful of us when it came to spiritual ability," sighed Kaori. They had had this conversation many times.

"But I was born second; therefore I am the one fated to continue the family blood."

"What do you feel?" asked Kaori.

"Evil," said Kaoru.

To be continued…

AN: Six page later and five names later, I finished it. You'll never know how hard it is to keep all these names straight. Especially when you're doing TWINS! ARG! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!


	15. Little Girl

Disclaimer: We've gone through this before: I don't own Inuyasha.

AN: You've seen them so many times, why show it to you again. I'm so sorry it's been over 6 months since my last update, but they get so hard. WRITERS BLOCK FOR HALF A YEAR!!! SO FREAKING CRAZY!!! Oh and as to the comment about the lemon, it'll happen… eventually. I just have to set everything up right for it to happen. This whole thing with Makoto has to be over first, I think, or almost over.

AN:/ Happy holidays!!

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language**

Chapter 13: Little Girl

Rin sighed as she sat atop Ahun, yet another day of traveling continuing by. She still had no chance to get down, Sesshomaru's pace still being too fast for her to walk with. She had been stuck on Ahun for many days now, and she was being to miss walking. It was also very boring for her to not walk, as the conversation between her and Lord Sesshomaru was completely lacking. They never said anything to each other, unless Sesshomaru was telling her a command.

"It's time to stop Rin," said Sesshomaru, stopping by a clearing. There was a strange pond near the clearing that looked like it was smoking.

'A hot spring,' thought Rin. Now she could have a proper bath for once. She slide down Ahun and began to gather things to start a fire.

"Rin," said Sesshomaru, "Are you going to want to bathe?"

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru."

"I see," he said, sitting down. "Gather enough wood for tonight and then I will bathe. You may take Ahun and look for something to eat."

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," Rin said with a bow. With that, she went off and began to look for larger logs for the fire to burn through the night. When she got back, there had been a pile of sweet grasses and leaves near the fire for her to sleep on. She looked over at Sesshomaru as he made his way towards the steaming water. "Thank you," she said softly.

Sesshomaru smirked as he heard her thanks. He got to the edge of the spring and began to take of his garments; first his armor and weapons and the his other clothing which he hung up with care on a tree near by. He went to the center of the spring, his body naturally floating in the hot, steaming water. He sighed, the warm water relaxing his tense body. He sank under the water briefly, his entire body submerged. He stood up in the water, his silver hair heavy with water, his hair dripping in the waist length water around him. He leaned his body against a stone in the water and relaxed on the floor of the spring. He leaned his head against the rock, his eyes closed, but his senses open to any danger that may be around.

Diamond in the Rough

Rin and Ahun walked through the forest, Rin keeping her eyes open for something that she could easily cook in the fire she had going back at the camp. She heard the rustling in the bushes and the trees, her eyes averting to where the disturbance had been. She looked over when she heard a shrill call in the tree nearest her. She gasped as a sharp beak came near her eyes, ducking just in time to dodge the razor beak of the crow. She looked up at that bird as it perched in the same tree, it's eyes filled with death and decay. She shuddered as she looked deeply in the bird's eyes, her body feeling cold and empty. She took her eyes away and looked elsewhere on the bird noticing that tired around it's ankle was one of the beautiful flowers that Lord Sesshomaru had left in her room. She backed away slowly, hoping that she could just move away from the crow, without any problems. Slowly, keeping her eyes on the crow, she began to move behind different trees, taking Ahun with her. She was trying to put as much distance between herself and that demon bird, for no bird could make someone feel like death had just washed over them without being a demon.

When she had gotten far enough away from the bird, she turned around and began looking for her meal again. She saw a rabbit eating peacefully. She told Ahun to stay while she crept closer to the rabbit, being as quiet as possible. With a single shot, the small knife she had on her went into the rabbit's chest, pinning it down. She quickly picked the rabbit off, snapping its neck. She shuddered at what she had just done, but she understood that she needed to eat. She took the knife from out of the rabbit and headed back towards Ahun, leading the dragon back towards camp.

"HA HA," said a voice from behind Rin. "WHAT A FINE RABBIT YOU HAVE THERE YOUNG ONE."

Rin turned around, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. It was Yasuo. She smiled at him, the rabbit falling from her hand, her body frozen where it was.

"YASUO, I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU," said Rin, the tears streaming down her face.

"I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU TOO," he said, coming closer and picking up the rabbit where Rin had dropped it. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING SO FAR INTO THE WOODS?"

"I AM TRAVELING WITH MY LORD. WHY AREN'T YOU IN THE VILLAGE?"

"I DECIDED TO COME AND FIND YOU."

Rin looked at him for a second, "WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?"

"WHY DON'T YOU LET ME SHOW YOU TO MY HOME HERE."

"ALRIGHT," she said, putting the rabbit with Ahun, "Ahun, go back to camp."

Ahun growled and rubbed on of his heads against Rin's hand.

"YOU'RE A GOOD DRAGON," he said, petting the dragon, but the dragon bit his hand, blood from his hand dripping from the dragon's mouth. "MAYBE NOT SO GOOD," he said, clutching his hand.

"AHUN," said Rin, yelling at the dragon. "LET ME SEE YOUR HAND," she said, holding out her hand for his.

"IT'S FINE," he said, showing her an undamaged hand. "SEE IT'S FINE."

Rin looked confused, but shrugged it off. "Ahun, go back," she said.

Ahun looked back at that mimic demon, not wanting to leave Rin, but Rin had said to go, so it looked back and growled once and turned around, going towards camp, the demon's dried blood still on Ahun's chin.

Diamond in the Rough

Sesshomaru sat there by the fire completely dressed and dry. It had been a long time since Rin had left and he was beginning to become worried, even thought he didn't want to admit it. He became really worried when he smelt Ahun and no Rin. He looked at Ahun as he came into the camp site, coming closer.

"Where's Rin?" he asked Ahun, spotting the blood on his chin. I looked at it for a second and realized that it was blood from a demon.

Sesshomaru looked over from where Ahun had come out of the forest and began to walk towards it. "Watch the camp," he said walking towards the smell of this demon with Rin.

Diamond in the Rough

"WHY ARE YOU LIVING HERE?" asked Rin as they made their way into a dark cave.

"THIS IS WHERE I LIVE FOR RIGHT NOW," he said, starting the fire with a flick of his hand.

"I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT," said Rin amazed.

"I DO A LOT OF THINGS YOU DON'T' KNOW I CAN DO," he said, turning around facing Rin, blocking her exit from the cave.

"YASUO," said Rin, backing away from him, deeper into the cave. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"I'M GETTING WHAT I PLANNED ON," said the mimic demon, his façade falling.

Rin backed away from him. "HOW… HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"

"I LOOKED INTO YOUR MEMORY AND TOOK WHAT I SAW, SOMEONE YOU TRUSTED. I'M JUST SURPRISED THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THIS DEMON DILECT. I WONDER IF YOU'LL SCREAM IN IT TOO." The demon got closer to Rin, backing her farther into the cave. She backed away into a wall of the cave. Why did she always seem to get herself into these predicaments? She felt on her body, she still had her knife.

"STAY BACK," she said, taking her knife out and taking a defensive poise.

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO LITTLE GIRL?" the demon asked, making himself bigger in the little space she had left. Rin lunged at the demon, cutting his hand and wrist, blood getting everywhere.

The demon laughed and picked Rin up, slamming her against the wall of the cave, her head hitting the back of the cave. Rin gave one more attempt at getting free from the grasps of this demon. She aimed a kick at the demons midsection, her foot sinking into soft flesh, the demons grasp lightening on her. Rin got pas the demon, trying to get away, but the demon grabbed her ankle dragging her back, a shriek coming from her voice, echoing throughout the cave.

She dragged her nails on the bottom of the floor, her hands and fingers getting scrapped on the rocks, blood from her hands reddening the cave dirt. Suddenly a flash of white flew past her, and her ankles were free. She looked behind her just as Sesshomaru was cutting the demon in half, after already cutting his hands off. She quickly got to her feet and ran from the cave. She kept running until she hit something hard, a pair of hands wrapping around her.

"GET AWAY!," she said as she tried to push away from the hard body.

"RIN IT'S ME," said Sesshomaru.

Rin stopped struggling and looked up into his amber eyes. They were filled with an emotion that she had never seen before and there was nothing that she could do. The tears that had been threatening to fall were streaming down her eyes as she threw herself into his arms crying.

"IT'S ALRIGHT RIN," said Sesshomaru softly, holding her gently.

"I was just so scared," she whispered, tears falling on his clothing.

"It's alright Rin."

Rin nodded and looked up at Sesshomaru, wiping away her tears as best as she could. Sesshomaru carefully wiped away one last tear, startling Rin by his kindness. She looked up with her big brown eyes and he could see that she was both physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. Sesshomaru didn't say anything as he picked her up in his arms and took her back to camp.

'She's still a human, and you still get yourself into these messes,' said a voice in his head. 'She's weak, she's stupid, and she's emotional. Don't let the weakness take a hold of you and make a fool of you like it did your father. You don't need this.'

'Maybe I do,' he retorted. When he made it back to camp, she was already asleep, curled into his chest, seeming to hide from the memories of tonight. He looked over as Ahun moved, looking up at his master, both heads cocking their heads in confusion. Sesshomaru sat down on the rushes with Rin in his arms. He sent a log into the dying embers with a surge of power, and the fire started to life again.

Sesshomaru looked down at this woman in his arms, and strangely she looked more like a little girl than the woman he had begun to feel for. It was strange to think about Rin as being as vulnerable as she was tonight. He held her a little tighter, this woman who had become this little girl.

To be continued…

An: I wanted to put in something about the speaking demon, but eh, I was tired of writing. And I thought someone would like an early present. Happy Holidays!

AN: I offically hate this site, i had to re underline everything, hence the horrible job.


	16. Birth and Wanting

Disclaimer: I own exactly -$20,000 of an education, but not Inuyasha

AN: I actually started writing this chapter before I had even started… well only barely stared chapter 13. I'm just that horribly amazing. Now to my reviewer who mentioned that they wanted more fluff, this may be what you were wanting, but I'm not sure. I haven't read another fan fiction in a long time and am now very rusty with most of the terminology. I hope you enjoy, I added parts to the flashback just for you.

AN: **Bold faced, **underlined, **bold and underlined,** ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other** letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language**

Chapter 14: Birth and Wanting

"Rin!" said Miki, waddling towards Rin, her arms open.

"Miki," she said, slipping off of Ahun, hugging her very pregnant friend.

"Good afternoon Lord Sesshomaru," said Hiroshi greeting Sesshomaru as his mate and Rin got reacquainted with each other, their chattering very loud indeed.

Lord Sesshomaru inclined his head, showing greeting to the demon lord.

"Let me take you away from this women talk," said Hiroshi leading the way to his study. Sesshomaru followed him without a look, glancing at Rin before he left.

Rin didn't notice as Sesshomaru left her with Miki, but Miki noticed.

"Sesshomaru looked over at you before he left," she giggled.

"Did he?" she asked, looking around, noticing him gone.

"Yes he did," she giggled again.

"It doesn't really matter I suppose," said Rin, stretching.

"What do you mean not matter?" she asked, but got distracted by Rin's hands. "What happened to your hands my friend?"

Rin looked at her bandaged hands. Her bandages were becoming a shade of pink, the blood starting to seep through. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, her face blushing.

"It's not nothing is it," Miki said, taking her by the wrist and leading her into the house slowly.

"No, it's nothing," she murmured.

"How did Lord Sesshomaru allow this to happen?" she asked.

"It's not his fault," she said, defending him quickly.

"Then what happened?" asked Miki.

"I made a stupid mistake and Lord Sesshomaru had to come and save me," said Rin quietly, sitting down on a mat that Miki motioned to quickly with a wave of her hand.

"What happened?" asked Miki, calling a servant over with her hand.

"I'll tell you the story," said Rin. While Rin was having her hands repaired properly, she told Miki the story of her vast stupidity and her rescue from Sesshomaru.

"When I woke up, he… took care of me," she said blushing.

Miki stopped what she was doing and looked at her friend. "Now you must tell me," she said, putting away any medical supplies she had taken out. "You can not say something like that, blush, and then expect me to just let that comment slide. I want to know the complete scoop."

"Alright," said Rin sighing, a blush coming to her face.

Diamond in the Rough

_FLASHBACK:_

_Rin woke up slowly, feeling warm and comfortable. She stretched slightly and then froze, feeling the bed she was on move slightly. She held her breath and held her eyes clamped shut as she felt it move a little more._

_"Are you just going to pretend to sleep or are you going to get up?" asked Lord Sesshomaru._

_Rin looked up very quickly, looking directly into his amber eyes, his arms tight around her body, cradling it in his arms. She didn't say anything, but looked up at him in almost complete astonishment. Then all the memories of last night came flooding back to her and she looked away blushing._

_"I'll get up my lord," she said, awkwardly crawling out of his arms. Her hands touched the ground and she hissed._

_"Let me take care of that," he __said ,__ standing up smoothly and going over to her, helping her up. She nodded her head as he took her down the path towards the hot springs._

_"Kneel," he said, commanding. She knelt by the water and tried not to make a noise as he gently washed the grime, dirt, and dried blood off of her scraped hands._

_"Take off your clothes," he said standing up. Rin looked up at him startled, her face loosing all __color that it may have once held._

_"W-what m-m-my lord?" she stuttered, hoping she had heard him wrong._

_"Take off your clothes," he __repeated,__ an eyebrow arching. 'She was making him repeat himself,' he said to himself, getting slightly annoyed at the human before him._

_She nodded as she stood up slowly, fumbling with her obi sash. Sesshomaru took her by the shoulder and spun her around, taking the knot into his own hands. He had untied the sash when __her__ felt her go into complete shudders, her body shaking like a leaf._

_"I'm not going to rape you," said Sesshomaru matter-of-factly._

_Rin spun around, looking at him with a mix of confusion and appreciation. "Then why?" she asked him quietly, her voice becoming cracked._

_"Because you need to bathe," he said. Rin looked down at herself, seeing the filth that was all over her body, a mix from traveling and last nights events._

_"I see," she said, the robe still clutched around her body._

_"I've already seen your body," he said coldly, "So why are you acting modest?"_

_She didn't say anything as her face became beet red. She turned around from Sesshomaru and dropped her robe and quickly went into the water, going quickly underwater and swimming to deeper water._

_"Don't go too far," he said, jumping to a rock nearby._

_Rin nodded slightly and started to rub the dirt off of her body. She dipped her hair behind her and scrubbed the oil from her long hair, arching her back, unintentionally leaving her chest in full view for Lord Sesshomaru to view._

_She hunkered down in the water and soaked for awhile, hoping that this wasn't going to be as awkward when she got out of the water._

_"Where did you learn to speak demon?" asked Sesshomaru, being blunt._

_"From a friend in my home village," said Rin quietly._

_"A human?"_

_"A half-demon,"_

_"A breed,"_

_"Don't speak of him like that," spat Rin a sudden rage flaring in her. Sesshomaru suddenly felt something very odd inside Rin, something that didn't seem quite normal. Sesshomaru said nothing as he bent down and picked Rin up out of the water, holding her naked body in his arms._

_"Why would you associate yourself with Breeds?" asked Sesshomaru, looking her deeply in her russet eyes, trying to figure out what that strange feeling was, the previous feeling completely gone._

_"Because he was the only person who ever cared about me," she said blushing._

_Sesshomaru again was silent as he looked at her, seeming to be just the same as before, innocent and sweet. He watched as she __bite__ her lip gently, something she did when she was nervous. She let her lip go, her lip pink and slightly swollen. Before he could think, he had __capture__ her lips with his, a fire behind his kiss that she responded too innocently, her naivety apparent behind her lips. He moved his mouth, nipping at her bottom lip, a gasp escaping her lips, his tongue slipping into her mouth, tasting her sweetness earning another gasp. She responded quickly to his onslaught on her mouth, but a sudden movement by her brought Sesshomaru back to the present and the fact that his servant was very naked in his arms. Sesshomaru jumped to land, putting her down quickly, covering her up with her robe. He quickly tied the sash around her waist and took out a piece of linen that he tore into two equal strips, wrapping her hands quickly and tightly in them._

_"Let's go," said Sesshomaru, heading towards Ahun._

_END FLASHBACK:_

Diamond in the Rough

"I didn't know you could speak demon," said Miki, thinking back to the traveling they did when they first met each other. "Why did you hide it?" she asked polietely.

Rin shrugged her shoulders, feeling very uncomfortable, her face beginning to flush

"So that's what happened?" asked Miki, looking at the blushing Rin who was examining her hands with a care they didn't deserve.

Rin nodded her head and looked up at her friend and quickly looked away.

"Do you care for him?" she asked her quietly and suddenly.

"I'm not sure,"

Miki nodded, seeing the conflicting emotions on her face. She knew what was surging through her mind. It was the same thing that had been going through her mind all the time before she had become her lord's mate. No one liked nor wanted one sided love.

"I know what you mean… oh!" said Miki, holding her stomach.

"What's wrong?" asked Rin, becoming alarmed.

"I think it's time for my pup to come," said Miki, getting up, a rush of fluid seeping from her body.

"This way my lady," said a servant, leading her to the birthing room.

"I'll go get Lord Hiroshi," said Rin, beginning to run off.

"No!" said Miki, obviously in pain. "Stay with me Rin."

"Whatever you want my friend," said Rin, going with Miki to the birthing room.

Diamond in the Rough

"So how have you been Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Lord Hiroshi, sitting on the mat, accepting a cup of tea a servant offered him.

"All has been well," said Sesshomaru, leaving his tea untouched.

"How have the servants worked out?"

"They have been a good addition to my household."

"Especially that Rin?' asked Lord Hiroshi, smirking, while Sesshomaru said nothing. "I can smell you on her Sesshomaru."

Again, Lord Sesshomaru said nothing, but sat there with a stair that said 'how dare you,' But before anything else was said a servant came rushing into the room.

"My lord," he said addressing Lord Hiroshi. "My lady… the pup… birth," stuttered the servant.

"My mate is giving birth?" asked Lord Hiroshi, standing from the desk, rushing out of the room before anything could be said.

Diamond in the Rough

Lord Hiroshi paced back and forth, obviously distressed. Behind him sat his friend who seemed as cool and calm as ever. "Isn't there anything you could say?" asked Lord Hiroshi, looking over at him. "Isn't there any words of comfort that you could give?"

"You know that I don't say things like that, and even if I would, what comfort would they be from me?"

"This is very true," he said, continuing to pace in front of the door. Suddenly there was crying coming from the room and Lord Hiroshi almost jumped out of his skin. After almost ten minutes the door opened.

"Lord Hiroshi," said Rin, coming out, the bundle in her arms. "You have a son."

"A son…" said Lord Hiroshi, looking at the baby in Rin's arms. It was a beautiful baby boy, his hair dark like his fathers, but skin light like his mothers. He opened his eyes and Lord Hiroshi looked into his own eyes, his son having his exact eyes.

"He's beautiful isn't he Lord Hiroshi," said Rin, looking at the baby and at the large demon in front of her. "Would you like to hold him?"

He nodded his head and Rin gently put the little baby into the his big arms. Lord Hiroshi took the baby confidently, holding the baby with great ease for his large size and strength. "I will name him Tamashine," he said softly. He gently stroked Tamashine's hair and slipped him back into Rin's arms. "I must go tell everyone in my household," he said, kissing the baby gently on the forehead.

He left, leaving Sesshomaru and Rin alone in the hallway. Rin wasn't paying attention to her lord, but she was looking down at the lovely child in her arms. Sesshomaru was looking very carefully at this woman. She was enchanted by the child in her arms. She looked at him with an emotion that Sesshomaru had trouble defining. It was a mix between great love and a wanting. She chuckled as the child began to cry softly, his small hands kneading her breast softly, hoping for milk.

"Let us get you back to your mother," she said softly, looking up at Sesshomaru for a second. She bowed slightly and smiled more slightly and turned around, leaving Sesshomaru alone with his thoughts.

To be continued…

An:: How do we like it? A second update in less than 30 days. Hope you love it! And to the person who said they wanted more fluff, is this good?


	17. Until Then

AN: I'm tired of it being up there. You know what it says. BAH!!

AN: When I started this chapter, it had actually been two years since I had begun this story. Thank you all for staying with me for two years. It's been hard. I don't know how you keep up with it. But I do understand. My favorite fan fiction hasn't been updated for over a year now, and it's not done. But it's amazing. So for all those who've found this amazing, thank you. I don't really feel I have much talent in my writing, but I will say I have talent in putting what my brain thinks onto paper.

It has taken me many days to write this chapter, after there being so long without writing at all. I've almost run out of talent to write it. But I'm going to try, and this is going to be a very sweet chapter. Finally for some, maybe too soon for others, but its in the plan. I have noting else to write quite yet. Thank you for reading this.

Chapter 15: Until Then

Rin laid in bed, not being able to sleep, her body unable to feel comfortable. She wondered if it was the strange place she was sleeping, or something in the air, but her body told her something else. She let her mind think back to when she was holding that small babe in her arms, and she felt herself ache in a strange way, as if her body wanted one of her own. She turned over in bed, looking over at the sliding door leading to a porch, looking at the shadows the moonlight played on the floor.

'Why would my body want a child?' she asked herself, turning over again, laying on her back.

She huffed a bit at the idea and got up, wrapping a yellow kimono around her and securing it in place and opened the door quietly. She let the fresh burst of air wash over her, the breeze moving her long hair from off her shoulders. She walked out onto the chilly stone porch and she looked out at the scenery. She had to admit that this land was beautiful, but she missed her home.

Not that she missed the village where she had grown up, but she missed where she lived in Lord Sesshomaru's land. It had become her home, seemingly more than her village ever felt. She sighed as she looked out into the darkness wondering, thinking, and wishing.

* * *

Sesshomaru couldn't sleep as he stood completely still outside his room. His ears caught the sound of Rin restless in the next room over. He took a deep breath, drawing in her scent. He could feel her aching, her sadness, and her confusion. He could almost understand it like it was his own, because in his own way, his body felt like that for Rin. But another part of him felt it was wrong, knew it was wrong.

'_This is just hormones and lust,'_ a voice in his head said. _'This is just the inherent instinct to mate, especially when the female is in her breeding prime.'_

"… _but could it be more than that?' _said another, smaller voice in his head.

He closed his eyes to the constant barrage of thoughts. His mind was redirected as he heard Rin's door slide open and hear her bare feet hit the cold stone patio. He turned over to watch her as she looked over the edge, her mind completely absorbed in its own workings. He watched her as she sighed, seeming to hope for something more, to see something more.

Sesshomaru jumped with great ease to the other stone patio, silently, landing without her knowledge.

"Rin," he said softly.

* * *

Rin turned around quickly, clutching the kimono to her body. She looked wide eyed over at her lord.

"Lord Sesshomaru," said Rin, her body relaxing a bit, the strange terror that had filled her body leaving her. She had been so warped in her thoughts that she didn't even notice her lord.

"What's wrong Rin?" he asked, a strange emotion almost evident in his voice, concern.

"Nothing my Lord," she said, almost with a smile.

"You looked almost sad," he said, coming to stand next to him.

"I miss my home," she said quietly, looking at Sesshomaru for a second and then looking back over at the valley and the forest.

"Your village?"

"No," said Rin looking up at Sesshomaru, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Then what home?"

She looked away, back into the trees. "Your…your home."

Sesshomaru didn't say anything and looked over at the land around him. "Why?"

Rin looked over at him confused. "Why what?"

"Why do you consider my house your home?"

"I…I feel safe," said Rin, faltering a little. _'I also feel loved and wanted,'_ she said in her head._ 'Even by you, in your own, strange way.'_

"Why?" asked Sesshomaru, his golden eyes staring at her with curiosity.

"Because… because you're there," she said rather confused, "And I suppose I trust you."

"You trust me?" he asked, an eyebrow cocking, coming a bit closer.

"Yes," said Rin blushing.

"Why do you blush when I get close to you?" he asked, looking directly into her eyes.

"I… I… I don't know," she said turning away.

Sesshomaru gently took her chin in his hand and turned it back towards him. "Is it because you feel something for this Sesshomaru?" he brought his lips close to Rin, barely touching.

But it was enough to send a jolt through Rin, her body trembling a bit with the force such a small touch caused. Rin looked up at Sesshomaru innocently, her face flushed, her eyes both terrified and excited. She looked at him in such a way to give Sesshomaru his answer, and he smiled ever so slightly. He kissed her with a little more force, her lips responding to his.

Her hands up to his chest, just barely touching until Sesshomaru brought a hand around her waist, bringing her body closer to his. Her hands quickly went to his shoulders as his kisses became more heated, his hands hot on her body. His hands wandered until they found the slit in the kimono she had tied loosely around her body. His hands gently roamed, feeling the naked flesh underneath, warm to his hands.

He felt her body tense slightly, he looked down at her, her eyes showing a sign of fear, but it was overpowered by desire and exhilaration. He didn't continue. This was a turning point for her, and she had to make this decision on her own. He looked down at her, her eyes becoming confused, her face blushing a bit.

"Do you want this?" asked Sesshomaru quietly.

Rin answered with going up on her tip toes, her kiss full of fire and passion. Sesshomaru took that as a yes and quickly undid the sash of her robe and slide the kimono from her shoulders, leaving her to stand naked in his arms. He could feel her blush as she continued to respond passionately to his kisses, their tongues tasting each other.

While his tongue danced and played with Rin's, Sesshomaru's hands wandered around her body, feeling her back, her waist, her shoulders, her breasts, all of which caused Rin to blush. She pulled away slightly, just enough to look him in the eye, but Sesshomaru captured her lips again, her eyes closing in ecstasy.

Sesshomaru put his arms around Rin's waist and lifted her, carrying her into her room, the robe left on the floor. He continued to ravage her mouth while he gently placed her naked in the bed, moving away from her enough to look at her beauty. She looked up at him, desire in her eyes, but there was a growing fear.

"Are you afraid?" asked Sesshomaru as he began to take off his own clothing.

"Yes," she barely breathed. She had never done this with a man, and now here she was, naked beneath her lord as he was undressing himself.

"Do you trust me?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes,"

"Then no reason to fear," said Sesshomaru capturing her lips in another heated kiss, disrobing completely.

Rin didn't know if she could quite believe that, but she'd try. She was very nervous about this, but her body wanted it, and she wanted more. There was something in her telling her it was right, that nothing was wrong with it. And another part of her said it was wrong, but she found she could easily drown that voice out.

Her body seemed to burn out of control at the feeling of Sesshomaru's naked flesh against hers. Her body moved and reacted to his and he touched and kissed her gently.

Sesshomaru knew she had never been with another man; he could taste her innocence and smell her purity. He had to be slow with her. He couldn't just take her like a road side tramp. She was special, and he had this feeling that this was going to change many things, but he didn't care. He had wanted her for so long. He put his nose into her neck and breathed deeply, taking in her lovely scent.

"Rin," he said huskily. "I want you," he said into her ear quietly. "But I won't, not if you don't want it too,"

"I…"started Rin, her mind reeling. "I want it too," she said.

Sesshomaru captured her lips with his, his hands moving over her body more heated, almost frantic. He licked a finger and gently put it between her legs, touching her clitoris gently, moving in small circles.

Rin gasped, having never felt anything like it. Her body seemed to course with an energy it didn't have before. She could feel her body becoming warm and then going past to hot, an almost smoldering feeling. She gasped as Sesshomaru started to move down her body, his head going closer to where his hand and finger were teasing and pleasing her.

"What…" she gasped, as her body began to shake with pleasure, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to make you feel good," he said, his tongue touching lightly on her clit.

Sesshomaru could feel her body tensing, her legs closing themselves instinctually with fear. Sesshomaru put his clawed hand on her thigh and sank his claws a small amount, causing Rin to gasp.

"No," said Sesshomaru going back to his onslaught on her body. "Just relax," he said lifting his head up again. He looked over at her thigh that was bleeding a little from his claws. He licked the blood away, savoring the taste of the red liquid.

He licked gently again, causing a gasp to escape her, and her body to fall back on the futon. Her hands went lightly to Sesshomaru's hair, tangling ever so gently. Rin gasped again, feeling her body begin to shake. There was a building of pressure growing inside her, and Rin began to moan ever so gently, her hips moving instinctually, her muscles tightening and releasing.

Suddenly Rin felt her self lose control, she moaned loudly as her body went into quick spasms, one right after the other. Her hands tightened in his hair.

"Rin," said Sesshomaru gently moving his head up, looking into her eyes with great want and desire. "I must have you,"

Rin nodded, her eyes filled with passion. Sesshomaru moved himself over her and looked down at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her body reeked of arousal, and Sesshomaru loved it. He kissed her passionately and put his hands on her hips, holding her steady. He looked at her concerned and kissed her gently.

Rin put her hands on the back of his head and brought him closer to her and whispered into his ear. "I'm not afraid."

Sesshomaru smiled an actual smile has she kissed him passionately. He held her closer as he slowly slid himself inside her, hoping to keep the pain low.

Rin whimpered a little at the pain of his ever so large self insider her. Sesshomaru stopped and kissed away her pain, holding her close to him. When she returned his affection moved deeper inside her, moving gently inside her.

Though the pain was evident, it soon became ignorable and warmth began to fill her body, just like before. She wrapped her legs around Sesshomaru's waist, drawing him slower to her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and laid her head on his shoulder, biting down slightly on his shoulder.

Sesshomaru hissed as she bit him, and thrust just a bit harder into her. He found it was hard, very hard, to keep himself in check. She just felt so good. He kissed her passionately, fighting the urge to bite down hard on her neck, marking her as his.

Rin moaned and arched her back. She found herself moving against him, the pleasure increasing. As she did this, he moved faster, harder, warmth seeping through her again for the second time, her body starting to feel like it was on fire.

Sesshomaru groaned as Rin gasped, another orgasm hitting her, her body shuddering. Sesshomaru held her against him as he thrust himself into her. But somehow it wasn't enough, he wanted more. He pulled himself out, to the surprise of Rin.

"What?" she asked a little dazed, "What's the matter?"

"Flip over," he said, moving to his knees.

Rin nodded and went on her hands and knees, looking back at her lord confused. Sesshomaru came closer and put his arms around her waist, thrusting himself inside her, earning a gasp. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth as such instinctively bucked against her.

Rin gasped at this new way of mating. She could feel Sesshomaru's forehead against her back as he continued to thrust into her. She moaned and arched are back and caused Sesshomaru to hiss and grasp her a little tighter

Sesshomaru groaned as he lost himself in the pleasure he was getting and in the beautiful woman underneath him. He growled, losing himself in his cranial instincts, his eyes turning red in the heat of the moment. And just before release, he sunk his claws into her hips. As his claws broke the skin, and the red blood started to trickle down her legs, he let his seed go inside her womb.

"Oh Rin," he said, holding her close to him, as his seed trickled down her leg, mixing with her blood. He rolled over the other side of Rin, while she collapsed next to him, exhausted. She passed out almost immediately, a smile on her face.

Sesshomaru, on the other hand, lie awake, wondering why he had done that and also what he was going to do when the morning hit.

'_Until then,_' he said in his head.

With that, he took Rin into his arms, and drew her against his naked body, falling into a soft slumber, a soft woman in his arms.

To be continued…


	18. Not Alone

Disclaimer: I own a lot less of an education that I had previously. I also don't know Inuyasha.

AN: Hello folks. My, it has been a long time. Far to long to be writing this story that has so much farther to go. I'll try to get this done over spring break, but we'll see. Maybe this will spark back the creativity I've been lacking in my life. I also just reread the last chapter I wrote, and now I have no issues with it. Go figure huh? :]

Chapter 16: Not Alone

Rin woke up, lying on her stomach, her body covered with the smooth blanket. Pain became evident as she stretched her sore body, trying to rise out of bed and failing. 'And here I thought it was all just a wonderful dream,' she said to herself, her arms under her head. Her body heart, as though she had just completed a long journey. But in a way she had. In her village, when a girl loses her purity, her virginity, she is considered a woman of the village. This usually happened the night after becoming wed to a man, but the idea still held true. Perhaps muscle aches were something that happened your first time.

She rose again from the bed, successfully this time, only to feel a trickle of blood down her leg. This confused her as it was not her the time for her monthly cycle. As she washed herself at the basin in the room, she wondered if the pain felt upon Sesshomaru entering her was the reason for the blood. Somehow that thought seemed to make her nervous. She had mated with her lord, she a human and he a demon. In everyway it had felt correct the night before, it all felt wrong now. The ideas that passed through her head seemed to deafen her. 'What did he think of her? How was he feeling? Will this change how I'm treated, for better or worse? Will he send me away?'

That last thought was the most terrifying of all. The idea of leaving the area that she had become so accustomed to made her want to cry, the feeling was so heart wrenching. The people in the village and the palace had become her home and her family. Leaving them would be hard, but there was always a step that would be harder. Sesshomaru. Leaving Sesshomaru would break her heart. She had given herself to him, according to her conscious, very ignorantly; but this gave her a feeling, a bond, that she didn't want to break. She hoped in her heart that there would be some feeling coming back to her one day. 'Is this more than I can hope?'

After she cleaned herself off, she dressed, careful of her sore body. Today she picked a light blue kimono, clouds around her shoulders and neck, dark rain falling over the ocean. In a way this was how she felt; as though her efforts were useless, such as rain falling over the ocean. No matter how it rained, the ocean never changed. It was always the same. Rin sighed, feeling depressed. How could such a passionate night, filled with pleasure and new experiences, make her feel so bad about herself? She walked out onto the porch, her feet touching the kimono from last night. She picked it up and held it in her arms. She looked over the scenery around the manor, trying to make sense of her feelings.

Diamond in the Rough

Hiroshi sat across from Sesshomaru, an awkward feeling hanging in the air. He knew what had happened last night, the idea almost boggling his mind. Sesshomaru had never once showed an interest in human women, despising humans. For him to bed a human was completely out of character for this great demon lord. His mate had been very concerned for her friend, knowing that this act would make many complicated issues arise. This was not what she should be worrying about, just recently having a pup. And if Rin should have a pup, what then? Would Lord Sesshomaru accept a half breed pup as his own? Would he kill it? Lord Hiroshi sighed outwardly, his thoughts exasperating him.

"This is none of your concern," said Lord Sesshomaru, his eyes closed. The idea of others worrying about his problems irritated him.

"Just because it is not my concern does not mean that I will not worry about it," said Lord Hiroshi, rubbing his two temples. "My mate is in a tizzy over this, so I feel her emotions and her worries."

"She shouldn't be concerning herself either. She should be concerning herself only with her pup," said Lord Sesshomaru, seeming to read Hiroshi's thoughts.

"Rin is her friend," said Lord Hiroshi, in a way that should have conveyed the importance of friendship to Sesshomaru. It didn't.

"I have some questions that I would like the answers to," said the dog demon.

'I knew there was a reason for him to come to see me,' thought the dark haired lord, 'But my is he in a bad mood.' "I only hope that I can answer them to the best of my abilities," said Hiroshi, answering formally.

"What have you heard of the demon Makoto?" asked Sesshomaru.

"I have heard nothing that wasn't in legends," said Hiroshi cocking his head, "Legends I'm sure that you are quite aware of."

"Of how a human priestess sealed a powerful demon somewhere on my land many years ago?" asked Sesshomaru? "Preposterous." Whether it was the idea that he had never found this site or the idea that a human priestess could seal such a powerful demon, Hiroshi had no clue.

"Than why do you ask this question of Makoto?" asked Hiroshi.

"I wanted to know what you knew of him, and since you've answered this question, I have another question that must be answered," said Sesshomaru.

Hiroshi moved his hand as a signal for Sesshomaru to continue.

"What do you know of the decedents of this human priestess?"

"All I know is that they live far in the northern mountains on my land. From those who have claimed to see these decedents, they claim that they are both beautiful and powerful. The first of the next generation is said to always be twins, as it has been for the family for 10 generations. They are also said to have eyes like a mountain pond, having all and no colors in them; grey is how they can best be described but they are said to change colors easily."

"You know much of these women,"

"This legend is famous in our parts. Men and women who want to prove their spiritual worth travel to see these women to receive a spiritual blessing. Those who find them only tell tales of them, but give no location. Those who don't find the decedents, never return for the mountains are dangerous. The mountains are the only clue to the location of the women that the people have. I hear what my people say, be them human or demon."

Sesshomaru said nothing, thinking of what his half brother had said to him. Was he willing to help that breed?

Diamond in the Rough

Rin was making her way towards the main area of the palace when she met Miki, the new born Tamashine in her arms. Her friend greeted her with a smile, Rin fully aware that she must have known what had passed between Sesshomaru and herself. In a way, Rin was embarrassed that she couldn't tell Miki on her own, as it would have been done if she was in a human village. In a very sudden way, she missed her home very much. She missed her friend Kuma before she was married. Most of all she missed her mother. Her mother would have helped her understand what she was feeling, for that was what mothers did.

"Do you wanna talk?" asked Miki, switching Tamashine to her other arm.

Rin shook her head. She didn't want to talk. She didn't want to tell of her strange emotions, of her guilt, confusion, and embarrassment. "I would like a cup of tea though."

"Come with me," said Miki, smiling an encouraging smile at her friend. She desperately wanted to tell her that she had had some of the same feelings when she had first mated with Lord Hiroshi. She wanted to put Rin's mind at ease, to give her the idea that this could work out for the best. But if Rin had no intention of talking to her, then there was no way for her to convince her otherwise. Rin was independent and stubborn, even in her pain.

They slowly made their way silently to the porch. A servant came soon after Rin and Miki had taken a seat on two cushions. "Could you bring us some tea please?" asked Miki, looking up at the young demon.

"Yes ma'am," she said, running to get her lady some tea. She came back shortly, carrying the tea and cups on a small table, placing it between the two women. She didn't realize that in the many minutes it had taken her to get everything prepared, the women had said nothing to each other.

"Is there anything else ma'am?" she asked quietly.

"No," said Miki with a wave of her hand. That'll be all.

The demon left with a bow, quickly going to the kitchen to hear more of the gossip of the western lord and his human servant. Everyone in the palace knew.

The two sat there, drinking in silence except for the cooing of tiny Tamashine. Rin looked over at the baby in Miki's arms, that strange wanting coming back. This silence continued for a long time, neither women speaking. Rin did on occasion look over at Miki as if to begin to say something and then she changed her mind. During this time, Miki had called a wet-nurse to take her small infant off of her hands, the tiny baby sleeping restlessly at the moment.

Afterwards, Miki turned to Rin saying, "Rin, you are a dear friend to me and I wish to tell you something."

Rin nodded, looking at her friend, emotions building in her heart.

"You are not alone in this dear one," she said with a sympathetic smile. "I want you to know that I am here for you whenever you are in need."

Rin nodded, her emotions getting the better of her. Tears streamed down her face, silent sobs coming after. Miki came to her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I will always be here for you, my sweet Rin."

Miki stroked the young woman's hair, Rin's head on her lap, her tears going into her kimono. She knew he was there, even if Rin didn't. She could sense him and she wondered how he could do this to an innocent girl. Rin didn't deserve this.

Diamond in the Rough

On the other end of the garden, Sesshomaru listened to the sound of Rin's tears falling. In his heart, his own conflictions raged. Between the side that cared for Rin, and felt for her pain and sadness, there was an equal side that felt wrong and betrayed for mating with a human. He couldn't decide which side was right.

To be continued…

AN: Short and to the point, and in only one night. I hope you enjoyed it. Any questions I'll be happy to answer. Till next time.


	19. Through the Mist

Disclaimer: End of my sophomore year of college. Oh boy. (ps. I don't own Inuyasha)

AN: Hello folks. My it's been a long time, again. So, as you can obviously tell, I didn't finish anything over spring break….  Ooops… What can I say? I'm going to try to wrap this up faster than I wanted to… We'll see. Thanks everyone!!

Chapter 17: Through the Mist

It had been a few days since Rin had talked with Miki, and she had calmed quite a bit. Although the strange hurt she felt was still deep in her heart had yet to subside, she was able to continue with her life in Lord Hiroshi's vast lands. She continued to spend her time with Miki, but the events of the night she had spent with Lord Sesshomaru were never spoken of again between the two females. Even though words were never spoken between the two, Miki could read the silent messages that Rin was sending out, and she never left the poor, hurt, woman. There were times when Rin and Miki would be too busy for thoughts to take a hold on Rin's mind. But then there were times when there was nothing that could distract Rin from her confusing thoughts, such as when the two sat and relaxed after a hard days work. Rin would sit silently, with Miki at her side feeding her small demon pup, and the thoughts would flow. She didn't cry outwardly, but in her heart, she wept. The young mother could feel her hurt and pain and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but she knew in her heart that this wasn't what Rin needed. Truthfully, Miki had no idea what it was Rin needed.

Diamond in the Rough

"Rin," said Sesshomaru, one day while she was busy helping the servants to air out the linens. She turned around to look at him, her eyes filled with an emotion he could place. In a way, there was a part of him that didn't want to understand the emotion in her eyes, this emotion that made her eyes seem less vibrant than he'd seem them before.

"We will be leaving shortly," he said, watching has she silently nodded her head. "You should find Miki and say your farewells." She watched silently as he walked away. She nodded her head, although she knew he could not see her response.

She nodded a goodbye to the servants around her and headed towards the library, where Miki had said she would be if there was any need for her. Inside of the library she found the small demon seemingly waiting for her.

"Sesshomaru told me of your eminent departure," said Miki, laying Tamashine in a small cradle beside her. She stood delicately on her feet, and held her arms open to embrace the woman who seemed more like a girl. Rin gingerly went into her arms.

"You must stop these feelings you hold inside yourself," Miki said softly in her ear. "You will never continue to live with this demon if you don't lose these feelings your hold so deep in your heart."

"I understand," said Rin quietly, speaking into her hair, "but this is something that is so hard for me to. There is just something that I don't understand about these feelings I have for my Lord."

"I know Rin," said Miki. "I know what it feels to have feelings that make no sense. But you can't let these feelings rule your life and keep you from what you want. Can you stay with Lord Sesshomaru with these feelings you have?" asked Miki, stroking her hair ever so gently.

"I don't know," said Rin quietly, knowing these strange feelings could be felt by her Lord.

"Do you want to stay with us, here, away from him?"

Rin looked up in surprise, looking at Miki with her expressive eyes. Quietly she looked at her, her mind thinking. She smiled to herself. 'I would rather stay with him than do without,' she said to herself. "No," she said, moving away from her ever so slightly. "Lord Sesshomaru is my master, and I will do as he asks me," she said her eyes becoming more golden, the strange sadness leaving her eyes.

Miki smiled at her, for even if Rin didn't understand her strange feelings, it was love, in some form or another, for she had seen it within herself during those times when she was confused about her own Lord.

"You will be fine," she said to Rin, kissing her lightly on her forehead, her motherly instincts strong. 'Eventually you will be fine,' Miki said to herself.

Rin nodded a smile on her face. She bowed to her friend and left the room, readying herself to leave.

Diamond in the Rough

Sesshomaru was waiting at the entrance with Lord Hiroshi, discussing more on the location of the priestesses, when Rin came nearly bounding towards them. Sesshomaru was taken aback, her emotions seeming to have changed completely from when he had seen her last.

"Are you ready to leave Rin?" asked Lord Sesshomaru, glancing at her.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru," she said looking at him, the sadness not quite gone from her eyes, but it was less then before.

"We'll be heading towards those mountains," he said watching as her eyes went towards the mountains in the distance. They were a quite a bit of a hike away. She nodded her head, but didn't ask what they were going.

"It was good to see you two," said Lord Hiroshi, bowing slightly to Lord Sesshomaru, who bowed ever so slightly back.

"Rin," he said, looking over at her, as she sat on Ahun's back, waiting for the signal to leave. He smiled ever so slightly at her, she smiled ever so slightly at him.

"Yes Lord Sesshomaru?"

"It's time to go," he said walking towards the mountains.

"Yes m'lord," she said, waving goodbye to the Lord and the Lady watching out of the window.

Diamond In the Rough

They continued traveling through the night, the fog thick as the sun was beginning to rise. Rin was finally asleep on Ahun's back, after refusing to sleep for quite a long spell. She had been a good companion, even though she had spoken very little. She would walk behind him some of the time, gathering berries, roots, and edible plants, but she'd say very littler. Part of him believed that it all had to do with the night they had spent together and the other part believed it was what happened the day after. He saw now the question in her eyes when she looked at him only for a second. Her eyes screamed questions to him.

'Why!?'

'Why did you make me a woman?!'

'Why did you love me and then leave me?!'

'Why? Why!? Why!?!'

These were all questions he couldn't answer because he had no answer to give her; or at least one that he believed himself. He chalked it up to lust and hormones. But when he was in a quite room, when his mind would begin to wonder, did he start to think of her. Was it really just lust?

'What else could it be?' he asked himself.

'Weakness…'

His face became a littler sterner and his pace became a littler faster, the faster pace waking up Rin. She yawned a littler and looked around her. The mountain was much closer than it had been before. It was easier to see through the fog that surrounded them as the sun was starting to warm up the earth.

"This is it isn't it?' she asked herself.

"Yes it is Rin," said Sesshomaru softly.

They could both see the towering mountain, mist surrounding its massive rock form. All there was to travel through it.

To be continued…

AN. Short and sweet and overdue for the update. I hope this chapter makes sense. It's hard to pick up and start writing again. Thanks!! :D


	20. Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters but I do love to write about them

AN: So far I haven't gotten a lot of feed back on my last chapter, so I'm not sure how it came out. It could just be that I've waited so long to update. Well, I'm hoping that this gets up before the end of the week.

Also, I wanted to warn people that this is going to be a strange chapter. It might be a littler hard for some people to handle and I apologize for that. If people find this to be too graphic in anyway, just tell me and I can cut something like this down if I happen to put anything similar in the story or even another story.

Chapter 18: Nightmare

"_Rin…," said a threatening voice she couldn't trace. Rin looked all around her, trying to find the body that came with the voice. There was nothing to be found. Yet the hair on the back of her was standing on end. _

"_Rin…" the voice said again, seeming to come from right behind her ear. She jumped back, looking warily around her again, backing away from where she could best tell where the voice was coming from. It was eerily familiar and horribly terrifying._

"_I've been looking for you lovely Rin," said the voice, invisible hands traveling down the length of her body, making her shudder and hold herself against the unseen violation that was happening to her body. She embraced herself as she squatted down, trying to make herself as little as possible._

"_What's wrong Rin?" ask the voice, as cold feeling wrapping itself around her body, making her attempt to move away from it, unsuccessfully._

"_What do you want from me?!" she asked the voice, yelling at it, wanting it to go away. She was beginning to place the voice, the horrid voice. It was somewhere from in her home village. Someone dark and evil._

"_Oh little Rin," said the voice, a physical cold hand touching her neck, keeping her face forward. "What do you think I want with your lovely body?"_

_She could feel the fear growing in the pit of her stomach, making her body numb. There had been a part of her that had begun to fear this evil man, ever since Kuma had brought him into the place that had become her home._

"_Haruki…" she breathed, the name escaping her mouth against her will._

"_You got it, my little cherry blossom," he said, smelling her neck and touching her hair. His hands traveled down her back, to the obi that was tied around her waist. As he began to untie it, Rin began to shake uncontrollably. There was no way she could stop herself from doing it. The fear she was feeling was just running to high._

"_Are you scared?" he asked, running his hands down her hips, pushing the obi to the floor, the kimono she was wearing loosing around her body._

_Rin said nothing as her body continued to tremble, his hands beginning to roam her body. In a bought of fear, she grabbed his hands and pushed them away. "Don't!" she said, her voice full of fear, her body instinctually covering itself._

"_Don't you tell me what to do," he said, taking her hands and flipping her around, her eyes meeting his. "This will become very bad very fast if you continue to tell me what to do," he said, bringing her face closer to his. She could almost taste his breath his face was so close to her own._

_She closed her eyes to him as he began to view her body, as his hands made it to her shoulder to push her kimono off of her body. He continued to wander his hands and eyes over his body, kneeling before her, kissing her thigh gently. He was touching her leg when he felt small indents on her leg. He angrily turned her thigh to him, seeing the scars of the claw marks on her leg._

"_You dirty little whore," he said, angrily, looking at her leg in disgust. "How could you give yourself to that damned demon?!" He grabbed her leg hard, causing her to gasp. She suddenly kneed him in the face, causing him to drop her leg. She ran away from him, leaving her clothing behind her._

_She ran through the dark area around her, trying to find something to hide behind, somewhere to go. As far as she could see, there was nothing and no where to go._

"_Where do you think you are running little girl?" asked Haruki, his voice behind her, the sound of pursuing feet also reaching her distressed ears. "You can't get away from me," he said. "I will never let you go, not till I die."_

_This just distressed her more, if that was even possible. She now __**had**__ to find a way to escape from the grasps of this horrible man. But where could she go? Who could protect her?_

_Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! He could protect her._

_And suddenly there he was, standing there, his silver hair swaying in a wind she couldn't feel. "Lord Sesshomaru!!" she yelled, running towards him, unaware of her nakedness. He was coming closer and closer to her, his face getting clearer and clearer. The footsteps behind her were also becoming louder and louder, but she didn't think of that. She knew that if she could get to Lord Sesshomaru, she'd be safe. Safety was all that she could think about._

_She was almost straight in front of him when she ran smack into something, her head spinning from the hit. She stood up after a second, holding her head and put her hand out to touch Lord Sesshomaru's chest. Before she could touch it, something invisible was in the way, keeping her from him. Terror began to set in. She began pounding on the clear wall yelling Lord Sesshomaru's name. "Lord Sesshomaru!!" she said, pounding her fists bloody. "You can't leave me like this!! You can't let him do things to me!!" She feel to her knees in front of his feet. "Please Lord Sesshomaru.. help me…" She was crying now. He didn't even seem to be able to see her._

"_I got you know my dirty slut," he said, grabbing her foot, causing a scream of pure panic to come from between her lips._

"_Please Lord Sesshomaru!! PLEASE!!!" she cried, holding her hands towards him as Haruki dragged her away._

_The next thing she knew, be was above her shaking her by the shoulders. Rin screamed and thrashed back at the hands. She felt she was going to be raped and killed._

Diamond in the Rough

Sesshomaru watched this girl curiously as she was thrashing around next to the fire. He could smell the fear just radiating off of her body. He turned his head, chalking it up to a nightmare. It was when she was moaning out his name, asking her to keep her safe that he became a bit worried about her. He took her by the shoulder and tried to shake her awake.

"No!," she yelled, striking out at his body.

"Rin," he said, shaking her again. "Rin, wake up!"

She awoke to a pair of tawny eyes, instead of the dark brown, almost black eyes from her dream. "Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered, relief flooding her face.

"Are you okay Rin?" asked Sesshomaru, looking this frightened woman in the eyes.

"I am now," she said, moving to lean on his shoulder. "What a horrible dream," she said almost to herself, but Sesshomaru could easily hear her. She sighed, putting her face into the crook of his neck, forgetting how awkward it had been for the two these past few weeks.

"Has our pace been going too fast?" he asked quietly, putting a hand delicately on her sweat-ridden back.

"No Lord Sesshomaru," she said, looking at him with her big innocent eyes. "It just must be the mountain air." Looking around her, she could see the distance they had made up the mountain. You couldn't see the ground anymore, the mist was so thick.

She looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes and blushed, moving away from him. "I'm sorry m'lord," she said, quietly, her eyes looking downwards in shame. Sesshomaru stood up to his full height, looking down at the girl on her knees. She looked so small. 'She seems to need my help more and more,' he thought to himself. 'Maybe she isn't as strong as I originally thought.'

'She's human,' another voice said in his head. 'Could you really expect anything else?'

"We'll be leaving soon," he said to her, starting to move away. "We'll move at a slower pace from now on."

Rin didn't argue, nor did she say anything. She hoped that her nightmare would never come true… She hoped that there would never be a time when Sesshomaru couldn't protect her…

To be continued…


	21. Somehow

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I own the story they partake in.

AN: So, I was quite happy with my last chapter, and it has been longer than I would have liked, but I finally felt the need to write. I hope you all will enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 19: Somehow

From a dead sleep Kaori sat up, her bright eyes searching around her. There must have been something that triggered her psyche to awaken, but she was groggy and couldn't pinpoint the source. The priestess quickly regained her composure and donned her clothing shivering in the chill of the morning air. She moved the flap covering the window, looking out at the village. The sun hadn't even begun to grace the land with its life-giving light. Promising herself a cup of tea when she discovered the cause of this disturbance, she walked to the large fire in the adjacent room to meditate.

Sitting on the small mat in front of the fire, she rested a minute relishing in the warmth. Slowly, the silence entered her head, allowing her mind to reach out to the world to find what awoke her. It was hard to find her way through the barrier that had been put up generations ago, fueled by blood. But, somehow, the priestess made her way through the barrier to the unprotected wildness of the surrounding mountain.

She caught a wisp of red and silver, but a heart that was pure. With this heart traveled powers like a priestess, but unlike the powers of her sister and herself. But this heart was also pure so her wandering mind moved on. These two hearts, pure and without fault, were not the disturbance she felt. They would find their way to this village and the barrier would allow them entrance.

She pushed the thoughts of the two travelers out of her mind, pushing herself to seek further down the mountain. She then found another pair of travelers, coming from a different direction than the first two and not far behind. They had chosen the more difficult path. The one companion was pure, although there was something different about this young woman that she couldn't identify.

Suddenly a pair of amber eyes came clear into her mind's eye. It was a powerful demon, traveling with this wholesome female companion. The companion was human, so the priestess could make no sense of why they would be traveling together. Was it that the companion was not as pure as her heart was? Or was it that there was something between the companions that was pure in itself. None the less, the demon would not enter through the barrier. In his heart he had killed many without remorse or any feeling in general. His heart was cold.

Her mind withdrew from the wilderness with unease in her heart. Even though this demon was powerful, Kaori doubted that this was the true reason for her startled awakening. There must be something more out there, and the priestess was determined to find it. She settled down again, ready to find the unease.

Searching deeply into the wilderness, the priestess found what she was looking for and it struck fear into her heart like she had never known. For a time, the evil power held her, not allowing her mind to find its way back to her body. She could hear an evil chuckle resonating in her head.

"_Oh my dear priestess_," the voice whispered, "_You look just like your ancestor. Even down to those naïve yet piercing eyes._"

"_Makoto…" _whispered the priestess. Whether it was just in her head or aloud, she was unsure. All Kaori was aware of was that this monstrous force had a hold of her mind and she was terrified.

"_I am glad that you know of my tale, my dear little priestess,"_ laughed the disembodied voice of Makoto. "_I had feared that it would have been lost after so many generations. Who told my you my tale?"_

"_My mother Hana and her sister, the priestess Hide,"_ spoke Kaori, unable to stop herself from divulging the information. There was something about his hold that she could not shake, although she tried.

"_There is nothing you can do, my little priestess," _taunted Makoto.

"_Why are you doing this to me?"_ asked Kaori.

"_Oh, it has nothing to do with you,"_ hissed Makoto seductively. "_But it has everything to do with your ancestor Inari. It was she that destroyed my power and it was through her blood, shed through her decedents, that keeps me trapped in this place. But her power is growing weaker. I'm able to send my messengers to be my eyes and ears while I am unable to leave. There hasn't been a death in Inari's blood for over twenty years. Your sister was lazy. She wasn't married as early as her mother and she didn't get pregnant till it was almost too late. If she doesn't give birth soon, then the blood pact that was made on this rotten land that keeps me captive will weaken and I will be free. I want my revenge, on you and on your family. When I kill them, the blood that is shed will be too late to contain me. No one will be able to contain me. I will rule these lands like I once able to do before that damned priestess contained me. I will be free again!"_

"_I will never let you do that!"_ shouted Kaori.

Makoto laughed, pure evil resonating in the priestess's head. "_You? What will you do? Will you kill yourself? Or will you kill that little cousin of yours that calls you her sister? You are alone and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"_

"_My sister is never alone," said another voice. _

There was a retching sound and Kaori's mind was free of the grips of that monster. She turned around to see her sister Kaoru standing in the room, leaning against a wall.

"Sister," said Kaori, getting from her position on the ground and supporting her sister.

"Oh it's nothing," said Kaoru, putting some of her weight on her sister as she lead her to another room to sit down. Kaori shielded her eyes, unaware that she had taken so much time to meditate.

"Let me make you some tea," said Kaori, moving quickly leaving the room.

Kaoru put his hands on her swollen stomach, feeling the babies kick so slightly. One had already flipped in her belly, ready to be born. This was Michi she though as she touched the baby through her stomach. The other one had her head still tight underneath her bosom. This was Michiko, touching where her head was. There was still time for her to move. It wouldn't be much longer until they were ready to come into this world, red and screaming. This made Kaoru smile.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Kaori, putting a cup of tea in front of her sister. Kaoru took hold of her sisters hand, giving it a quick squeeze before she went to sit down near her. Kaori smiled at her sister. Kaoru always understood. "So? What were you smiling at just a moment ago?"

"Oh, it's really nothing," said the expectant mother sipping her tea. "Just thinking about the little ones in my womb."

"They'll be here any day now, won't they?" asked the priestess, sipping her tea. It was warming after that encounter. She looked up to see her sister looking intently at her, her eyes a serious stone.

"We should talk," said Kaoru, putting her tea down.

"How much were you there for?" asked Kaori, taking another sip of tea before placing it next to the small tea pot.

"Enough to know who it was and that he had captured your mind," said Kaoru in a subdued tone, hoping to bring no shame to her twin.

"I shouldn't have let him take hold of me," said the priestess, shame written in her expressive eyes. "I should have been more prepared."

"Few would have been prepared for such an encounter," said her sister. "I doubt the priestess Hide could have withstood him."

"How long has it been since she passed?" asked Kaori, her attention grabbed by a little bird out the window.

"It's been twenty two years since she passed, only a few months after mother," muttered Kaoru, sadness filling her voice.

"Giving birth to Emiko," whispered Kaori, her voice barely audible. She didn't want to voice the fears she had for her twin. Kaoru knew how she feared for her life, for they had always been able to feel things. They could always tell what the other one was feeling, even when they were so far away. Their minds had always been connected.

"There is good news that comes out of this," said Kaoru, causing her twins head to turn quickly towards her.

"How so?"

"This tells us that Emiko is still alive."

Kaori stared at her twin for a little longer before turning back to the little bird that had already flown away. Emiko was Hitomi's mother. She disappeared a few months after Hitomi was born, leaving the two twins to care for their cousin.

"I can't believe that she's already turning seven," said Kaori, more to herself than to her sister. "It makes me feel so old."

"We're almost twenty eight years old sister," Kaoru said adjusting herself slightly, her swollen stomach making her more uncomfortable every day . "We are old."

"We still have many year left in us."

"I hope so." Kaori was going to protest when her sister held up her hand to silence her. "I heard what Makoto said. It took far too long for me to find the right man to father these children. I'm too old to start having children now."

Kaori could say nothing, knowing that this was true. She knew that the new generation should have been at least five years old by now. That Hide should have been her teacher instead of an unrelated apprentice. There shouldn't have been a break in the blood pact. There should have been more siblings and cousins. There should be children of ancestral blood in this village to keep the barrier strong. But there was none.

"Somehow," said Kaoru, "We'll get through this." She grabbed her sisters hands and held them fast. Kaori could feel the love spilling from her sister into her.

"Somehow."

To be continued…

AN: Not as long as I would have liked, but it's time to go back to school, and this is what I can give you. :] I hope you enjoy it.


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